Social media can broadly be defined as a group of emerging online media that facilitate social interaction; these platforms encompass internet applications such as social networking websites, online forums, and virtual gaming. They have added another dimension to communication, interaction, and connection with others and are well integrated into our lives. The accessibility, availability and immediacy of social media have made them extremely popular and the method of choice to promote social engagement. However, social media can lead to rejection, cyber-bullying victimisation and cyber-aggression, and these experience, and these experiences are not fully understood as experienced by autistic adults.
Some Interesting Research Results
- Children with emerging social communication problems prefer object-based play, which includes TV and digital devices.
- Both school-aged ASD and typically developed children spend more time in front of a screen than the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended.
- Higher rates of video game use in boys with ASD compared to those typically developed.
- Both increased sleep onset latency and shorter sleep duration have been documented in children with ASD when media is used as part of a bedtime routine.
- No studies have definitively linked early media use with the onset of ASD.
How Can Social Media Support Autistic Children And Adult?
Social Connection
Adults with autism use social networking sites to seek social relationships. With social media, they can communicate and comfortably engage with others. A study shows that adults with ASD who used SNS were more likely to have close friends, and those who used SNS for social engagement reported closer for more intimate relationships.
Platform
Support groups on social media provide a platform for parents and caregivers, and hence they can ask for help and advice, whether it is professional support or emotional support, from other parents or professionals. They can also make contributions to other group members.
Positive Feelings
Adults with autism can use social media to gain emotional support, motivation, accountability and encouragement. They would talk to friends, play games with friends or watch funny videos to relieve feelings of anger or boredom. Self-esteem is positively correlated with feelings of belonging to an online community.
Discovering New Things
Social media is a great way for autistic children and adults to learn new skills. The collaborative environment and open forum that social media encourages, along with the rapid-pace of information sharing that it facilitates, means that students can accelerate the development of their creative, critical thinking, and communication processes in certain ways when they use it.
‘It’s an escape for me from the constant stress of daily life, worries, and anxiety.’
— Andrew
What Are The Areas Of Risk Of A Child Being On Social Media?
Cyberbullying
Cyber bullying is potentially a huge problem for some autistic people. Underage autistic children being exposed into sharing pornographic images or harmful content that are used to humiliate and bully. Depression is associated with cyber victimisation as people with autism may feel ignored on social network sites and chat rooms.
Excessive Social Media Use
Clearly an autistic person facing daily challenges understanding and communicating in the “real world”, may find sanctuary in a world that appears safe and offers an opportunity to meet and communicate comfortably with people. It causes low self-esteem by comparing others to themselves. Emotional investment in social media may exaggerate the core symptoms of ASD, and causes higher levels of anxiety and lower self-esteem.
Cyber Aggression
Another concern for autistic children and adults is that of internet/gaming/social media dependency. When problematic media use starts to displace sleep and other healthy behaviours; interrupts homework or academic functioning, or becomes compulsive or excessive in duration.
Conclusion
Adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at risk for significant social and emotional difficulties yet show strengths and interests in screen-based technology. However, clinical features of ASD might contribute to problematic media use, including social communication deficits and the tendency toward solitary play and restricted interest, sensory differences, executive functioning weaknesses, and contextual factors such as parent stress. Currently, there is no protocol specifically for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for helping them balance media with the social and play experiences they need to optimise their functioning. Therefore, medical professionals should cooperate with parents to help children with ASD explore social media on a case by case basis. In that way, they can develop their social skills and close relationships more comfortably and decrease the rate of problematic social media usage.
Reference
- Krishnan V, Krishnakumar P, Gireeshan VK, George B, Basheer S. Early Social Experience and Digital-Media Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Indian J Pediatr. 2021 Aug;88(8):793-799. doi: 10.1007/s12098-021-03666-z. Epub 2021 Jan 20. PMID: 33471317.
- Triantafyllopoulou P, Clark-Hughes C, Langdon PE. Social Media and Cyber-Bullying in Autistic Adults [published online ahead of print, 2021 Nov 19]. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021;1-9. doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05361-6
- Zhao Y, Zhang J, Wu M. Finding Users’ Voice on Social Media: An Investigation of Online Support Groups for Autism-Affected Users on Facebook. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Nov 29;16(23):4804. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16234804. PMID: 31795451; PMCID: PMC6926495.