Digital Literacy and Online Safety among Senior Citizens: An Evaluation of the Sach Ke Sathi

Abstract

This study presents an in-depth evaluation of the 'Sach Ke Sathi, Vishvas News,and Jagran New Media, designed to promote digital literacy and online safety among senior citizens. As India's elderly population becomes increasingly active online, the risk of cyber fraud, misinformation, and digital vulnerability has grown substantially. Through a hybrid model of workshops—both virtual and on-ground—the Sach Ke Sathi initiative aimed to build awareness, develop preventive behaviours, and create a network of ‘Sach Ke Sathi’ champions who can further spread knowledge within their communities. This paper uses quantitative and qualitative analyses based on pre- and post-training survey data (N=671 and N=501 respectively) to assess the initiative’s effectiveness. Findings reveal a marked increase in participants’ awareness of phishing, password safety, two-step verification, and deepfake recognition. The paper concludes that structured, context-sensitive digital education programmes can significantly enhance cyber resilience among India’s ageing population.