Whilst it’s natural as a parent to worry about our children’s online safety, we firstly know that having an autistic child means that we have an extraordinary child who has their own individual unique strengths. There are also different challenges which could make navigating and supporting your own kid through everything that makes them who they are, a journey in itself.

Autistic Kids & Cyberbullying
Social cues and sentiment can be tricky for anyone, despite their age, to accurately be picked up on over text, but for autistic children who already have trouble in this area, this is only magnified.
For example, if kids are in a group chat together, friendly banter can very quickly turn into an exchange of insults. A child with autism may have trouble identifying when others in the group are deliberately picking on them and won’t know when to speak up or when to seek help from a responsible adult.
How You Can Help?
Take some time to talk through what it means to be a good friend.
Reassure them, letting them know that a true friend wouldn’t treat them this way
and that it’s not OK if friends are mean about another’s appearance as it can be a form of bullying.
Grooming
Online predators are sadly everywhere and as parents, it is important to have conversations with our children to help them spot signs, hoping that if someone makes them uncomfortable they can talk to us. A kid who has difficulties with social cues can find it even tougher to notice that someone online is acting inappropriately.
One particular trick predators often use is to connect with a child through an interest they have. Kids with autism can be hyper-focused on a subject and may be thrilled to find someone who’s so eager to chat with them about it. Their excitement can prevent them from recognising that the attention they’re being shown is inappropriate.
A study carried out by the National Center for Victims of Crime reported,
“A bond can be formed between a child and an online groomer in only 8 minutes.”
What Parents Could Say?
It can be useful to have the following statements ready to say if they’re required:
“If someone online asks you where you go to school, what your address is, or if you would like to meet them, tell me immediately.”
“If someone online asks you to keep a secret, tell me straight away.”
“If someone online starts talking about sex or asks you personal questions, never be afraid to tell me.”
And of course, if someone starts being horrible to your child, you should also tell them to never be afraid to tell you and to stress to them that it is not their fault.

Self Regulation
If you’ve ever started browsing through the internet for craft ideas, baking inspiration or stumbled down a Netflix rabbit hole, you know just how tough it can be to disconnect from technology. This is a universal struggle, but it can be even tougher for some kids with autism who can often have difficulties with impulsivity, self-regulation and their time management.
Some issues with impulse control can appear in many different ways and knowing the signs to look out for can be a tricky balance. Sometimes they can lead to self-esteem issues which can be intensified by tech use.
How Can We Help?
By having a chat and working out some rules which you can both agree on, can help.
Things like restricting them to thirty minutes browsing a particular platform per day and setting a time limit for a game should be beneficial.
By setting up the parental controls for a little piece of mind on those pesky pop ups!

Special Interests
For the many children who are nonverbal or have limited speech, having the ability to communicate with other people online is an amazing opportunity, giving them the sense of acceptance. On the other hand, despite the potential dangers of the internet, its ability to connect people who share a passion or a life experience can be pretty amazing. Many autistic children have very specific interests and strong passions for learning about and talking about a certain subject, which can lead to visiting online forums to find people with similar interests.
How You Can Help?
It is one of the simplest things we can do, but to really listen as often as possible to our children talking about one of their special interests is vital.
Being able to learn so much about something is a great strength and by showing them that you care about the subject,
can be a great opportunity for you to bond with each other and to strengthen your relationship.