数字时代下老年人权益保障的路径转型：从“被动保护”走向“主动支持”

Transforming Approaches to Protecting the Rights of the Elderly in the Digital Age: From “Passive Protection” to “Active Support”

摘要: 随着我国深度老龄化社会与数字时代同步到来，老年人权益保障面临传统保护模式与数字社会现实需求之间的结构性张力。本文认为，既有以“弱者关怀”为核心的老年人权益保障思路，在实践中陷入保护过度与保护不足的双重困境。数字时代老年人权益受损呈现出隐蔽化、复合化、系统化的新特征，传统的个体救济型保护机制难以及时有效回应。本文提出，应当实现从“被动保护”向“主动支持”的路径转型，以尊重老年人自主性为核心，构建“法律保障–技术适老–社会协同”三位一体的保障体系，推动老年人从“被保护者”转变为权益保障的积极参与者。这一路径转型既是对积极老龄化理念的回应，也是对老年人作为权利主体地位的真正尊重。

Abstract: As China’s rapidly aging society coincides with the advent of the digital age, the protection of the rights and interests of the elderly faces structural tensions between traditional protection models and the practical demands of the digital society. This paper argues that the existing approach to safeguarding the rights of the elderly, centered on “care for the vulnerable,” has fallen into a dual dilemma of both overprotection and underprotection in practice. In the digital age, violations of the elderly’s rights exhibit new characteristics—namely, concealment, complexity, and systemic nature—making it difficult for traditional, individual-based remedial protection mechanisms to respond in a timely and effective manner. This paper proposes a paradigm shift from “passive protection” to “active support.” Centered on respecting the autonomy of the elderly, it advocates for the establishment of a three-pronged protection system integrating “legal safeguards, technology adapted for the elderly, and social collaboration,” thereby empowering the elderly to transition from “Protected person” to active participants in safeguarding their own rights. This paradigm shift not only responds to the concept of active aging but also constitutes a genuine respect for the elderly as rights-holders.