Like many parents, Andrew and Maggie faced challenges managing their child’s increasing screen time. “We grew up in this era where screen time was this great evil,” Andrew reflected. “There’s all the stories about Silicon Valley executives who refused to let their kids anywhere near the technology they were working on.” However, their perspective shifted dramatically when their eight-year-old son, Jordan, was diagnosed with autism, and reports of “disruptive behavior” at school began to surface.
Andrew described the transformation in their son: “We saw a kid who was shut down, barely there. It was like he was just checked out. This was not the boy that we know, this was someone entirely different.” Jordan, a couple of years into primary school in Victoria, began to show signs of distress. Despite attempts at home education, Jordan remained disengaged. In a bid to connect with their son, Andrew and Maggie turned to screen time as a tool.
Screen Time as a Tool for Connection
Andrew, who once envisioned his son as a well-adjusted school-goer, found himself spending school days on the couch with Jordan, playing video games. “Thank god for Minecraft,” he said. “A lot of the past year has been about sitting beside him and co-regulating by playing Minecraft. It allowed us to meet him where he was, which was a very restricted place.”
Despite initial parental guilt, the shared gaming experience became enriching. “We found early on that autistic kids find screens regulating. It’s a way to help themselves calm down,” Andrew explained. “Introducing limits to that is really counterproductive.”
Expert Insights on Screen Time
British clinical psychologist Naomi Fisher has been advocating for a more flexible approach to screen time through webinars for parents worldwide. Dr. Fisher argues that imposing strict screen-time limits adds unnecessary pressure on families. “It’s about meeting children where they are rather than trying to get them to come to where we are,” she stated.
Dr. Fisher, who specializes in mental health issues in children, autism, and childhood trauma, noted that while unlimited screen time can benefit all children, the positive effects are particularly pronounced in neurodivergent youth.
“Often for [autistic] children they don’t have friends in the outside world and they can interact with people online,” Dr. Fisher said. “I hear the most amazing conversations going on when they are playing, say Minecraft together, amazing negotiations and planning. If this was anything else other than in a video game, we would all be like ‘this is amazing’.”
Parents’ Perspectives and Adjustments
Heidi Ryan, a mother of three from the Mornington Peninsula, initially imposed device time limits but reconsidered after her children were diagnosed with neurodivergence. “The more I understood my kids and how their brains worked and how they decompressed and how they engaged with the world, the more I let go of those expectations,” she shared.
Ryan observed that her children were less anxious socializing online than in person and that these interactions fostered family conversations. “It brings them conversations when they emerge from their rooms. There are dinner-table conversations around games or anime or the K-pop music that they’re into at the moment,” she said.
By approaching screen time without judgment, Ryan’s children felt comfortable discussing their online experiences and challenges. “They’re self-correcting. They’re understanding for themselves what does and doesn’t work,” she added.
Research and Ongoing Debate
The debate over screen time continues, with research offering mixed findings. American clinical psychologist and autism researcher Michelle Menezes has conducted studies on the mental health impact of screen time on autistic youth. Her research indicates that while increased screen exposure correlates with depression and anxiety in neurotypical children, the same does not hold true for autistic youth.
“The relationship doesn’t seem to be quite so simple for autistic youth,” Dr. Menezes explained. “We found that there wasn’t an association between anxiety and depression and screen time for autistic youth.”
However, one of her studies did find that increased screen time could lead to more behavioral issues. “Autistic youth engage with their interests with more intensity than neurotypical youth,” she noted. “So, if an autistic child has a special interest in screen media, they may have a larger reaction than a typically developing peer to screen access restrictions.”
Looking Ahead: Balancing Screen Time and Development
For Andrew, the benefits of screen time extend beyond connection to education and self-regulation. Despite his skepticism about platforms like YouTube, he has observed Jordan gaining knowledge and inspiration from online content. “Of course, it’s not all good. There are plenty of times where he’s stuck and he can’t pull himself away. There are times when you go ‘he’s just wasting his day’, but then he’ll come away from that with this amazing creative project which is inspired by something he’s seen and he’s off and away for days building stuff,” Andrew concluded.
As families like Andrew’s and Maggie’s navigate the complexities of screen time, the conversation continues to evolve. The challenge remains to find a balance that respects the needs of neurodiverse children while fostering their growth and development.
