Exploring problematic internet use and gaming in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could lead individuals with ASD to spend large amounts of time on internet and potentially becoming addicted. Sixty-five individuals with ASD (mean age = 23.77, SD = 4.3) completed an online survey measuring compulsive internet use and gaming disorder. Six participants (9.3%) had problematic internet use, while only two (3%) scored above cut-off for gaming disorder. Exploratory analyses found no differences according to gender, age, employment or co-occurring diagnoses of anxiety, ADHD or depression. Our data suggest that problematic internet could be more frequent than gaming disorder in Canadian young adults with autism and that these issues should be investigated further.