Browsing problematic social media use in autism spectrum disorder: The role of social anxiety

Accessing the Internet is one of the most frequent free-time activities among autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Autistic individuals may experience communicative benefits from using the Internet. However, they may also be at risk of developing Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). To date, PSMU in autistic adolescents remains underinvestigated, and no research has analyzed the role of emotional correlates. The present study aims to investigate possible differences in terms of PSMU comparing autistic participants to their non-autistic peers, and examine the role of two dimensions of social anxiety (i.e., humiliation/refusal and performance anxiety) as reported by both children and parents in worsening the levels of PSMU. A total of 183 participants (76 on the autism spectrum), aged (8-17 years) participated in the study. Questionnaires on social media use and on social anxiety were administered. Moreover, parents of the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire related to their children's social anxiety. Results showed similar levels of PSMU across the two groups. However, a different pattern of relationships between PSMU and age, and the two dimensions of social anxiety was observed in autistic adolescents as compared to the non-autistic peers, revealing that individual characteristics and specific social anxiety beliefs might be relevant to understanding PSMU in autism. The clinical and preventive implications of these findings are discussed.