The aim of this study was to examine the association between Internet use and SRH among Swedish 70-year olds and determine whether this association held independently of health factors, hearing and visual impairment, and social contacts. Our findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between more frequent Internet use and better SRH (Model 1), and that this effect remains when the covariates (i.e. health factors, hearing and visual impairment, and social contacts) are entered into the model (Models 2 and 3). Overall, these results also show that Internet use is of minor importance to the SRH of older adults, and that health factors play a more central role, as adding these improved the explanatory power of the model by approximately 400% (from 0.04 to 0.18). All included health factors affect SRH negatively, which is in line with previous research [
13]. The variables measuring hearing and vision impairment did not affect SRH when Internet use and health factors were taken into consideration. Social contacts and perceived loneliness had single significant impact on SRH with a stronger correlation for perceived loneliness than for social contacts. Contrary to Gracia & Herrero [
13], who found no evidence of a relationship between Internet use and SRH, our results suggests that there is minor evidence supporting the idea that use of Internet has a relationship with SRH in older adults. However, based on our findings it also becomes evident that SRH is a complex concept, which depends on several contextual factors. Less than 20% of the participants’ SRH could be explained by the numerous factors included in this study. Research examining the sociodemographic correlates of Internet use among older adults suggests that the average user is younger and has more education and income than the average non-user [
38,
39]. In our study, all participants were the same age (i.e. 70 years) with high educational attainment (i.e. 82.9% had more than primary education > 9 years and 28.5% hade university degree). The initial analyses also included sex and educational level. However, none of these factors added any explanatory power to the relationship between Internet use and SRH. Research show that the effects of gender and income on Internet use is less robust in older age groups [
40]. Instead, attitudinal variables, such as self-efficacy and interest have a more vital role [
39]. However, it can be hypothesized that self-efficacy (and interest) also affects SRH of the individual, as well as the fact that older adults are a heterogeneous group, which may implicate that their use of the Internet is also diverse. For instance, older adults can use the Internet for different activities, and this usage can be of different influence on benefits. It has been suggested that access and participation in the information society will promote positive health outcomes [
11,
41]. The analysis of Internet use in a large and representative sample of 70-year-olds in relation to SRH is a strength of this study. Our results show that 69.3% of the men and 63.3% of the women used the Internet daily. For example, a recent national survey in Sweden estimated that 56% of adults aged 76 years and older are Internet users [
3] compared with less than 10% in 2003 [
42]. However, it is not clear to what extent such growth is due to the Internet revolution and the increased use of the Internet in all age-groups over time (i.e., period effects) or the movement of cohorts with higher use into older ages (i.e., cohort effects). The most common online activity was web browsing and online information search (83.6% of the men and 83.4% of the in women), followed by e-mail (79.9% in men and 79.2% in women), online banking (75.9% in men and 69.9% in women), and reading news and blogs (70.2% in men and 61.2% in women). Communication-oriented Internet sites and social networking such as Facebook and Instagram was used by 35.4% of the men and 44.3% of the women. In future epidemiological studies on SRH and Internet use in older adults, more detailed questions about the use of specific online activities in everyday life could reveal information about habits in different Internet areas. In addition, it would be valuable to include questions pertaining to what dimensions of Internet use that could improve or impair the SRH of older adults. According to the total social contacts index, 39.8% of the men and 53.1% of the women had daily contact with children, grandchildren, siblings or friends, and 89.9% of the men and 77.7% of the women reported that they never or rarely felt lonely. A previous study from the H70 studies showed that social contacts with others were related to depression in 70-year-olds born in 1930 and examined in the 1970s, but not in those born in 1901–02 and examined in the 2000s, which might reflect period changes in the ways of socializing, communicating and entertaining due to technological development [
43]. Dickinson and Gregor [
11] found that Internet use does not reduce isolation in vulnerable older adults, but rather act as an additional way for those with existing social networks to stay in touch. Since the late 1980s, the concept of successful aging has set the frame for discourse about contemporary aging research [
44,
45]. Despite an increasing focus on the improvement of quality of life throughout the life course, there is no generally accepted definition of what it means to age actively, healthy and successfully [
46]. Traditional conceptualization of successful aging refers to the bio-medical model focusing on physical health, functional and cognitive capacity [
47,
48]. In relation to successful aging, it might be suggested that older adults using the Internet report less loneliness due to more frequent contact with family, friends, and the possibility to establish new computer-mediated relationships within online communities and chat rooms. It might also be suggested that frequent Internet use informs and educates older adults that strengthens their position as active and engaged participants of society.