Protecting the Online Safety, Security and Privacy of Autistic Children and Young People

Kirsty Macmillan (Heriot-Watt)

Autistic children are active online users, with parents reporting them spending more time online than non-autistic children (Hedges et al., 2018; Macmullin et al., 2016). Challenges in this population include communication difficulties and focussed interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, many autistic children use social media and online gaming platforms for social connection and to share interests (Gillespie-Lynch et al., 2014; Grove et al., 2018). Despite evidence that online platforms are beneficial to autistic people, studies indicate that frequent online use increases the likelihood of children experiencing online security risks (Rideout, 2013; Rideout, 2017), though the latter did not focus on autistic children. Researchers have suggested that autistic children can have difficulty transitioning from online to offline contexts (Kuo et al., 2014; Orsmond & Kuo, 2011). Therefore, autistic children could be considered an “at risk” group for online safety issues. Nevertheless, there are gaps in the research literature regarding the impact that autism may have for children’s online safety. This PhD project therefore, seeks to explore how autistic children and young people experience online safety risks and what could help them to navigate these scenarios in the future. In this talk, I will give an overview of the first three studies. These include a parental online safety survey of autistic and non-autistic children; an interview study with autistic young people; and a co-design study with autistic young people conducted. Finally, I will outline the rationale and planned steps for the concluding study to the project.