Why the Term ‘Virtual Autism’ Warrants Caution

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Krijnen, L. J., Scheeren, A., van Asselt, A., Begeer, S., & Plak, R. D. (2026). Why the Term ‘Virtual Autism’ Warrants Caution. Autism, 30(6), 1632-1634. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261434478

Publication date: 23 Mar 2026 Added to AutiHub: 6 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 5 (20.0%)
  1. Lisa JG Krijnen
  2. Anke Scheeren
  3. Alvin van Asselt *
  4. Sander Begeer
  5. Rachel D. Plak

Abstract

The term virtual autism has recently been used to describe autism-like behaviors in young children following prolonged exposure to screens. The use of the word autism in this context raises conceptual and ethical concerns by reinforcing outdated ideas about parental blame, misrepresenting the nature of autism as we currently understand it, and causing misunderstanding about autism among the general public. We call for more precise and responsible language and advocate for an alternative term that better reflects the environmental basis of the phenomenon, such as screen-related developmental delay. Lay Abstract The term virtual autism has been used to describe autistic-like behaviors in young children that result from spending a lot of time using screens. Using the word autism in this context can cause confusion. It may lead people to wrongly believe that autism is caused by screen use and bring back outdated ideas that blame parents. We argue that this term can be misleading for parents, teachers, and the general public. Instead, we suggest using a clearer term like screen-related developmental delay to better reflect the environmental causes of these behaviors.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
7
With a DOI
6
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
1
1 / 7 (14.3%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 7 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
7 / 7 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
1
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
51
From DOI or external metadata
51
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
21 / 51 (41.2%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 30 / 51 (58.8%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
2 / 51 (3.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 2 / 21 (9.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 2 / 51 (3.9%).
  1. Mara Parellada , M.J. Penzol , L. Pina , C. Moreno , E. González-Vioque , G. Zalsman et al. (2014). The neurobiology of autism spectrum disorders . European Psychiatry, 29(1), 11-19. Cambridge University Press (CUP).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2013.02.005 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1994118694
    Crossref OpenAlex
  2. González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4247665917
    Crossref OpenAlex
  3. Beata Tick , Patrick Bolton , Francesca Happé , Michael Rutter , Frühling Rijsdijk (2016). Heritability of autism spectrum disorders: a meta‐analysis of twin studies . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(5), 585-595. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12499 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2207583083
    Crossref OpenAlex
  4. Anum Ashraf , Rabia Azmat (2025). The Growing Prevalence of Virtual Autism: A Cause for Concern . Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Research, 1-2. Link Medical Institute.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.61919/jhrr.v5i1.1752 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4407310723
    Crossref OpenAlex
  5. Catherine Lord , Tony Charman , Alexandra Havdahl , Paul Carbone , Evdokia Anagnostou , Brian Boyd et al. (2022). The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism . The Lancet, 399(10321), 271-334. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(21)01541-5 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4200099564
    Crossref OpenAlex
  6. Konstantin Yenkoyan , Meri Mkhitaryan , Geir Bjørklund (2024). Environmental Risk Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review . Current Medicinal Chemistry, 31(17), 2345-2360. Bentham Science Publishers Ltd..
    Type: Article DOI: 10.2174/0109298673252471231121045529 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4390742471
    Crossref OpenAlex
  7. Zamfir M. T. (2018). The consumption of virtual environment more than 4 hours/day, in the children between 0-3 years old, can cause a syndrome similar with the autism spectrum disorder . Journal of Romanian Literary Studies, 11372(13).
    Type: Other
    Crossref