Navigating social media for autistic children

Social media platforms have become an everyday part of most of our lives, impacting how we communicate and interact with other people.

For many autistic people, they can encourage socialisation, creative expression and even advocacy. Understanding both the benefits and safety risks of social media for autistic children and teenagers will help you support them in developing digital literacy and learning to use these platforms safely and responsibly.

Benefits of screen time and social media

Communication on their terms

For many autistic people, traditional social settings can be daunting, mainly due to social skill challenges and sensory overload. Social media, on the other hand, allows users to avoid the challenging parts of face-to-face communication. For example, talking on a messaging app doesn’t require users to maintain eye contact or read body language. 

The nature of social media also means that users can choose when and how to interact with others. This flexibility is key for autistic individuals who may need more time to process social interactions and respond in a way that feels true to their thoughts and feelings.

Communities based on shared interests

One of the biggest advantages of social media is its ability to connect people around the world with similar interests. For autistic individuals who may have very niche and intense interests, finding like-minded individuals locally can be hard, whereas finding these groups on social media can happen in seconds through a quick search. There’s a community, chat or group catering to almost every interest imaginable on the internet, where like-minded people can be celebrated and appreciated by each other.

These online communities can allow autistic people to form friendships, share their experiences, provide advice and give and receive encouragement. This can be particularly valuable for autistic children and teenagers who may struggle to form friendships face-to-face or are experiencing issues in their existing friendships. Not to mention, being part of a community where you feel you belong and your interests and ideas are valued is incredibly empowering. 

Advocacy and self-representation

Social media is a powerful platform for advocacy and self-representation. Autistic advocates and parents/carers of autistic people can use these platforms to share personal stories, challenge misconceptions and educate others about autism. By controlling how they are represented and speaking directly to a broad audience, these advocates play an important role in raising awareness and encouraging acceptance.

Social media also makes collective advocacy easier, helping people come together to spread awareness, support one another and campaign for awareness, understanding and change. 

Creative expression and employment

Social media can open up avenues for self-expression, which might even lead to opportunities to make money or find employment. Many autistic individuals use these platforms to showcase their talents, which can sometimes help them earn money, such as through selling their art, finding freelance work, or collaborating on paid projects. With so many barriers to traditional employment for autistic people, this may help them gain visibility, support, and a purpose. 

The visibility of autistic professionals on social media has encouraged more employers to consider how their organisations could be more inclusive. More and more companies are realising the many benefits of hiring and supporting neurodivergent employees, whose diverse perspectives and skill sets are an asset in any industry. 

Challenges and risks of social media

Social media and screen time can also present challenges for autistic children and young people, particularly when autistic people use social media excessively or have bad experiences on these platforms. This can lead to cognitive, behavioural and psychological problems without intervention and support. 

For children with autism, screen time in general—especially when gaming or using social media—acts as a stimulant and has similar effects on the brain to caffeine. Without a balance between screen time and other activities, children can become irritable and develop the following challenges:

Physical health problems

If children are not physically active due to too much screen time, this may lead to physical health problems, including issues with balance, coordination, healthy weight management and muscle and bone strength. Similarly, excessive screen time or gaming might cause eye strain, headaches and pain in the joints and muscles.

Sleep issues

Screen time, particularly before bedtime, can affect melatonin, the hormone that helps us go to sleep and wake up. Many children with autism already struggle with sleep issues, and screen time can make these problems worse.

Emotional dysregulation

The stimulation that screen time provides can cause chronic stress and lead to difficulties in managing emotions. This is of particular concern for autistic children, where emotional regulation can already be a challenge.

Attention and executive functioning 

Screen time can harm attention and executive functioning skills, such as planning, flexibility, and impulse control. 

Impact on co-occurring conditions

High screen time can cause challenges in managing some of the common co-occurring conditions associated with autism, particularly anxiety, depression and ADHD. As screen time stimulates our brains, excessive screen time can make inattention, hyperactivity and feelings of stress worse, and looking at distressing content can increase feelings of depression.

Behaviours related to addiction

Screen addiction is an issue facing many children and young people, and individuals on the autism spectrum are at greater risk. Males, in particular, are also at risk of developing a gaming addiction, with these addictions having major impacts on all areas of life, including school, work and relationships. 

The importance of digital literacy

Digital literacy isn’t just knowing how to use digital devices. It is a strong understanding of the online world and the skills you need to navigate it safely and responsibly. Many people with autism love to use digital devices and technology, but often, they struggle to know how to use it safely or appropriately. 

One of the biggest challenges for people with autism is understanding their digital footprint. Families must help their autistic children understand that once information is shared online, it can be copied, shared, altered and misused by others, even if the original post is deleted. 

Here are some points families should cover with their children to improve their digital literacy:

• Avoid sharing sensitive personal information such as your full name, address or passwords, especially on public platforms, in conversations with people you don’t know or on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi.
• Help children create strong passwords or passphrases, enable multi-factor authentication on their devices and check they have the latest security updates. Use privacy settings and parental controls on devices and in apps to minimise the chance they are exposed to inappropriate content.
• Ensure that personal data on their devices is backed up regularly. This helps in data recovery if their devices are lost, damaged, stolen or hacked.
• Discuss scams and phishing attempts and how they can occur via email, text, or phone calls. Remind children that even if someone seems trustworthy, they might not be. 
• Stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats and updates so you can alert your children to be aware of them.
• Encourage your children to speak to you if there is suspicious activity on their devices. This can help you prevent them from experiencing online abuse or being scammed or help you report a scam quickly before too much damage is done. If your child is scammed, talk to them about what has happened and what they can do differently next time to prevent hacks or theft.
• Create an environment where your child or teenager feels comfortable questioning the information they find online and talking about it with you.
• Talk to your children about the importance of sharing positive and appropriate content and the harms of sharing content that degrades or bullies other people.
• While promoting independence is important, periodic checks can help ensure that interactions remain safe and appropriate.

TikTok

Social media platforms like TikTok have become incredibly popular in a short period of time. However, the reliability of the information shared on these platforms, especially relating to autism, can be questionable. Although content on TikTok can be very entertaining for children and teenagers, any information or advice that users receive should always be fact-checked, particularly when it relates to autism.

A recent study by researchers from Drexel University found that only 27% of the videos flagged as being about autism on TikTok were accurate. Most of this content, about 32%, was labelled as "over-generalised," and 40% was labelled as “inaccurate.” This misinformation on popular platforms like TikTok can have serious consequences. Young people and their families looking for information might be misled, which can affect their understanding of autism and the support they ask for. 

The ‘Digital Wellbeing’ feature on TikTok can help families restrict how much time their child spends on the app and what content they can see. The "Family Pairing" feature could also be helpful, as it allows parents to link their accounts to their children for better monitoring. Families should also know that by default, TikTok accounts must be switched to private manually, and until they are, a child can receive messages from anyone.

Parental controls

Parents and carers may wish to use parental controls to help keep their children safe online:

Built-in parental controls on mobile devices

• Apple products: From iOS 12, Apple has a range of parental controls, allowing parents and carers to help their family stay safe online. These controls can restrict app downloads and online purchases and filter out inappropriate content. They can also prevent users from sharing certain information (e.g., photos, locations) or interacting with certain people, helping prevent scams, data breaches or online abuse. 
• Android products: Unlike Apple, Android doesn’t currently offer general built-in parental controls across its devices. However, Google does have its Family Link app, which allows parents and carers to perform the same functions as Apple’s built-in parental controls, as well as setting limits on screen time if this helps to prevent excessive phone use. 

Third-party software

Many parents and carers use commercial third-party parental controls for additional control and convenience. These apps offer more detailed customisation and monitoring features than the built-in system mentioned above. Third-party controls can be applied to individual devices or all devices connected to a particular Wi-Fi network (e.g., home Wi-Fi), allowing for more specific monitoring. Often, these controls operate on a subscription basis, with prices varying by the number of devices they cover, which can be more cost-effective for families.

For families new to parental controls, searching terms like ‘internet filters’ or ‘family filters’ can provide a list of reputable options. Some services offer free trials, which can be a good starting point to determine whether a service is right for you. 

Mobile service providers

Many mobile service providers offer parental controls as part of their mobile phone plans. These tools can be handy for managing how someone uses mobile data and interacts with mobile services. These services are commonly used to block access to inappropriate content, set times when the internet can and cannot be used and monitor online behaviour, such as the types of apps accessed on a mobile device.

Instagram Teen Accounts

Instagram has introduced Teen Accounts, designed for users aged 13-17. These accounts have additional default privacy and safety settings when a user signs up. Parents and carers can supervise these settings for younger teens, and while they can monitor who their teen is interacting with, they cannot view message content. More details about Teen Accounts are available here.