Autism identification is on the rise while digitisation of all aspects of everyday life expands and accelerates. Addressing risks and benefits of online spaces for marginalised groups, such as autistic people, is more important than ever. The Cyber Safety for Vulnerable Populations research team set out to understand how 24 autistic adults in the Republic of Ireland interact with cyber threats. The study put scams and phishing at the forefront but also explored hacking, doxxing, harassment, and the benefits of the Internet. While the cohort was overall unfazed by digital fraud attempts, interpersonal aspects of the Internet posed multiple threats. Almost a third of participants referenced past encounters with online sexual grooming and the motives for them either remaining engaged with predators or disengaging. We found that social inaccessibility and social isolation are driving factors in why and how autistic people interact with the Internet. Generally, Internet access was overwhelmingly positive, from both a social connectivity and accessibility perspective. We explore and expand upon existing frameworks in Ireland for online safeguarded social spaces intended for autistic young people, which may be more effective than education in preventing online grooming.

Melanie Gruben is an autism-specialising researcher working in the Cyber Security department at Munster Technological University in Cork, Ireland. Accredited with the Psychological Society of Ireland, she also works in private practice providing psychotherapeutic and trauma-resolution supports for autistic adults. She has been part of seven paper publications since completing her masters, presenting her paper on Ireland’s digital educators at TEI Conference in 2025.