Introduction
The ageing population is surging in China, and older adults’ well-being deserves attention (Heo et al. 2015: 268; Hofer et al. 2019: 4426; Ollevier et al. 2020: 2). Internet construction has greatly improved in China, and this has influenced the lives of elderly people (Arthanat, Chang, and Wilcox 2020: 74; Li, Han, and Hu 2022: 910). However, the effects of the Internet on the well-being of older adults remain unclear. A number of studies have focused on the mixed impacts of internet use on the well-being of older adults (Choi and DiNitto 2013: 2-3; Hong and Cho 2017: 856-7; Hunsaker and Hargittai 2018: 3937-8; Khalaila and Vitman-Schorr 2018: 479-80; Hofer et al. 2019: 4427-8; Duplaga 2021: 2). Nevertheless, the effects of the internet environment on older adults have been ignored in previous literature. Immersed in the circumstances of the Internet of Things (IoT) and widespread internet education in China, older adults are beginning to perceive the importance of inte...