In recent days, mainland Chinese internet celebrity and entrepreneur Luo Yonghao expressed his frustration over the difficulties faced by his elderly family members in using the so-called “senior mode” on their new televisions. Despite changing the TVs twice, they still couldn’t grasp the functions and had to resort to installing an Interactive Network Television (IPTV) set-top box.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, on July 25th, Luo Yonghao shared on social media that he had upgraded the TVs for his elderly family members twice, but they still couldn’t understand the features, including the “senior mode” provided by the manufacturers.
As a last resort, they had to add an IPTV set-top box that the elderly could navigate. Luo Yonghao pointed out that despite the abundance of TV shows available on online platforms, the complexity of operating the TV resulted in them sticking to traditional TV channels.
Luo Yonghao’s experience resonated with many internet users. Some commented that it’s not just the elderly who struggle, but sometimes even younger individuals have difficulty operating the TVs. Others shared anecdotes of their grandmothers being cautious while watching TV, as one wrong press could lead to confusion and frustration.
Major brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, Hisense, Skyworth, and Changhong confirmed that while their TVs have a “senior mode” or “easy mode,” setting up the TV to directly access live broadcasts still requires additional steps. Moreover, some products do not support remote operations.
Renowned industry economist Liang Zhenpeng remarked that most TV manufacturers’ “senior modes” only enlarge fonts and change interfaces, without simplifying the underlying operational logic. It merely scratches the surface of what is considered as “pseudo-elderly-friendly design.”
On July 26th, Luo Yonghao mentioned that before installing the set-top box, his family had tried two third-party apps for watching TV channels. These apps seemed functional for watching TV shows but would sporadically interrupt with false advertisements for health products under the guise of “health channels.”
Luo Yonghao criticized the diverse fee structures of TV content platforms, where even premium members might encounter advertisements and “fake 4K” content. Internet users pointed out the fragmented membership fees for different apps on the same TV, with features like casting and HD quality possibly incurring separate charges. Some noted that mobile app memberships might not include the same perks as TV memberships.
Moreover, users highlighted instances where TVs would suddenly prompt membership purchase windows, leading elderly users to unintentionally navigate to payment pages.
Designated researcher at Su Commercial Bank, Fu Yifu, pointed out that the increasing complexity of smart TV operations stems from slim profits in hardware. TVs have evolved from being a viewing terminal to becoming “advertising screens” and “membership payment gateways”.