Autism and the Internet: 7 Tips for Online Safety
As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we must be vigilant regarding autism and the internet. While many online dangers are the same for autistic individuals as for others, kids with ASD need more structured time on computers and devices.
You need to have an explicitly-stated plan about using the internet, one that you can clearly communicate to the children in your care. This way, you can better protect their privacy and keep them safe while they surf the internet and interact on social media. With that in mind, we’ve put together seven tips for helping teach autistic individuals to be safe online.
Internet Safety and Autism – 7 Tips for Staying Safe Online
1. Come Up With Internet Ground Rules Together
When it comes to internet safety and autism, there’s no better way to start than sitting down with your child and establishing a set of ground rules, which allows the autistic individual to take ownership of their own safety. Including them in the brainstorming process and explaining to them what is and is not appropriate will establish a strong foundation of internet safety knowledge. You’ll make them more capable of identifying inappropriate content if they encounter it on their own.
2. Make Visual Reminders
Providing autistic individuals with straightforward facts and information can often be beneficial in allowing them to stay within the boundaries of appropriate behavior—especially when paired with posted visuals. One idea is to make a poster board of the internet rules they’re expected to follow—make it explicit, simple, and concise—and post it near all their devices.
Consider using the line: “Would I be comfortable if my parents read this or saw this?”
3. Establish Screen Time Limits
Establish a limit for the amount of screen time an autistic child can have during a particular week/day/session. Screens, particularly when they’re interactive, have a stimulating effect similar to caffeine, and autistic individuals can be overly sensitive to those stimulating effects. In some children, this overstimulation can exacerbate tics and cause sensory overload, which can lead to emotional meltdowns and trouble sleeping.
Explaining all of this to your autistic child while establishing a clearly set time limit will allow them to avoid the overstimulation that comes with excessive use.
4. Provide Concrete Examples of What Cyber Bullying Looks Like
Teaching safety skills to students with autism requires a different approach than with neurotypical tweens and teens. Social cues can be difficult for anyone to pick up online, a problem that can be magnified in autistic individuals who already struggle in that area. This can lead to an autistic child having trouble identifying between friendly banter and being picked on, making them less likely to speak up or seek help in instances of bullying.
Sitting down with your child and giving concrete examples of what true friendship looks like and how, for instance, when kids in a group chat are all saying mean things about a person’s personality, appearance, or abilities, that is an example of bullying.
5. Educate Them About Online Predators
Just as an autistic individual might have trouble picking up on social cues, they might equally find it difficult to notice inappropriate behavior or contact when it occurs online. Many times, predators will try to connect with a child through an interest they have. Since many autistic children can have a hyper-focus on an area of interest, this can make them especially vulnerable to those kinds of predatory tactics.
Post a visual near the computer reminding them that if they ever encounter someone online asking for personal information such as their address or name of their school, or who’s talking about sexual things, they need to alert an adult about it.
6. Utilize Parental Control Software
In many ways, the internet is tailor-made for a neurodiverse world, offering fun, friendship, education, and, perhaps most importantly, communication. But as your autistic child matures and their interests—and thus internet searches—become more expansive, it’s a good idea to utilize parental control software to protect them from the darker, potentially harmful pockets of the internet.
7. Periodically Check Content, Chat, and Messages
Make sure that your autistic child knows you’ll be following up to make sure they’re staying within the boundaries of the rules that you both established. This accountability–knowing that you’ll be looking at the content and messages they’ve been interacting with–will actually help them feel more safe and secure when online.
You may also learn more about their developing interests by engaging in their online activities. This gives you the opportunity to encourage open communication about the things they like while you monitor their online safety. For more information on autism and the internet, please consult the below references.
References:
Autistic Kids and Online Safety: How You Can Support Your Child - Bark
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls | Common Sense Media
Internet Safety Guide for People With Autism Spectrum Disorder (wizcase.com)