Using your neurodivergent mind to thrive online

You might find it easier to express yourself through art, memes or gaming communities that value shared interests. But online chats where it’s hard to read humour, tone or emojis can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and put you at risk of being bullied.

Many neurodiverse people are known for being open, honest and trusting. This can help you connect and build meaningful friendships online. But it can also increase your risk of unsafe contact, ‘sextortion’, or scams by people who don’t have good intentions.

You might love learning everything about a particular topic or skill. Online this can help you develop your knowledge and skills and share them with others. But hyperfocusing can make you lose track of time or feel pulled in by endless streams of similar content.

Many neurodivergent people feel emotions strongly and care deeply about others – this can make you a supportive friend and a positive voice in online communities. But it can also mean that hurtful comments or distressing content have a bigger impact on you.

Neurodivergent minds often think in original and creative ways. Online spaces can help to inspire you and provide endless ways to share your creativity through stories, art or video. This can also make it hard to balance your time or deal with feedback from others.

There are times when being online can be soothing – music, gaming or supportive communities can help you regulate your emotions. But too much sensory information, particularly in spaces with lots of visual ‘noise’ like bright lights and pop-ups can make you feel overwhelmed.

Some harmful behaviours can be hard to recognise. Here are a few red flags to look out for: 

• Someone asking you to share private images or personal information
• A person pretending to be someone else or using a fake profile
• Someone you don’t know well pressuring you to move the conversation to a different messaging app or social media platform
• Someone's age or story not matching up what they say or do online, especially if things turn romantic or sexual.

Cyberbullying can also show up in subtle ways. These are some common signs of online bullying:

• Someone screenshotting and resharing your posts with laughing emojis
• A person pretending to be you online or making a fake account with your name
• Someone inviting you into a group chat and then being mean to you
• Being tagged in hurtful memes or upsetting jokes.

If you notice any of these behaviours, it’s important to get help and advice from people or services you can trust.

You can also report the behaviour to the online platform. The eSafety Guide has step-by-step advice on how to report harmful content on different platforms, apps and websites. If the service doesn’t help, and the abuse is very serious, report it to eSafety. 

Being online can be exciting, creative, and social – but it can also be overwhelming, especially if you're neurodivergent. You might experience things more intensely, get confused, or find it hard to switch off.

The social media age-restrictions starting in December 2025 are designed to protect under-16s from harmful design features, but they are just one piece of the puzzle. Whatever your age, it’s important to balance your online experiences with time offline and build your digital wellbeing skills - particularly as a neurodivergent person.

• Take breaks: time passes quickly online. Try short breaks every 30 minutes to give your brain a rest. You can set an alarm to remind you. For more tips, read our advice on balancing your time online.
• Think critically: ask questions about what you see online. If you don’t understand something, ask a trusted adult or friend to explain, and read our tips to spot fake news to help you check how credible something is.
• Pause before you post: take a moment before responding, especially if you’re upset. Anything you share can be out in the digital world forever, so you want to be sure you’re OK with it.
• Build resilience: try these tips for coping with hard stuff. Knowing some ways to deal with difficult situations can help you find relief when you need it most.
• Ask for help: if something confuses or worries you, reach out to someone you trust for support.

Using your privacy settings is an important part of staying safe online. From 10 December, only young people aged 16 and older will be able to create a social media account, but even unrestricted apps and platforms that under-16s are allowed to use can have risks. Whatever your age and situation, start with the following tips:

• Check The eSafety Guide for advice on protecting your personal information on common platforms, games, apps and sites.
• Choose whether your account is private or public, depending on who you want to connect with.
• Use your settings to control who can see your posts, message you or view your location.
• Never share passwords – even with friends, and always log out if you’ve used someone else’s device.
• Watch out for fake accounts that impersonate/pretend to be people you know or someone famous. If something feels off, double-check before sharing personal information.
• Check your friends list and remove people you don’t know or trust. 

Take advantage of user controls and accessibility features to customise your online experience. Most social platforms, apps, websites and games have a range of controls to choose from depending on your specific needs. These are some examples of what you can do:

• Set up screentime limits on your devices to help you keep track of how long you’re spending on your preferred apps and platforms.
• Use reading mode or text-only views to reduce distractions. (You can usually switch this on via your browser settings.)
• Add a screen mask to your browser. This typically dims or darkens the screen except for a specific area to help you focus on one block of passage of text at a time.
• Adjust screen brightness or use blue light filters to reduce eye strain.
• Switch to ‘dark mode’ to reduce glare and sensitivity, especially in low-light places.
• Try using tone indicators to make it easier to communicate by text, like /j for joking, /srs for serious, or /s for sarcastic. You can ask your friends to do the same to reduce misunderstandings.
• Use a screen reader to read aloud the text and other elements on a computer or device screen and cut out visual ‘noise’.
• Consider an immersive reader to improve your experience via features like text-to-speech, syllable breakdown and a choice of font size, spacing and colour.
• Block or hide news topics or material that you may find uncomfortable or upsetting. You can use built-in features in news apps, like ‘Fewer stories like this’ or ‘Hide all stories from’, which are often found by tapping a three-dot menu. Some platforms also allow you to filter out posts, comments, messages and notifications that include specific words or phrases.
• Use ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones in noisy settings to help you focus and stay calm.

Look for communities where people:

• let you be yourself rather than ‘masking’ your differences to 'fit in'
• are patient and understanding when you ask them to explain something
• back each other up if someone is being bullied or abused in other ways
• understand and respect your boundaries and needs
• use clear, kind language (and tone indicators if you ask them to).

If you’re under 16 and rely on social media to engage with friends and access support, it’s important to seek out other ways to stay connected before the social media age restrictions start. 

You can use eSafety’s Get-ready guide and action plan for under-16s to help you prepare for the change and line up alternatives, including safe, confidential services to support your wellbeing.

Everyone has different views and experiences. It’s important to share your opinions carefully and respectfully and create space for other people to share if they want to. We don’t always have to agree with one another, but being part of a safe community means being kind, listening and accepting that it’s OK for people to have other views and experiences.

It’s also a good idea to connect with a range of safe communities and explore a variety of positive topics that match your interests to inspire new ideas and ways of thinking. This helps you:

• see different points of view
• avoid echo chambers (where you only hear the same opinions)
• grow your thinking and confidence.

You can help build safer, more inclusive online spaces by being a good upstander. This means supporting someone if they’re being treated unfairly, especially if they’re also neurodivergent.

You can speak up for them if it feels safe. If not, you might be able to help them in another way. For example, you could message the person privately to show support, or help them talk to a trusted adult or support service.

ADHD affects attention, focus and emotional regulation. People with ADHD might be very active, and able to hyperfocus on things they find interesting, but can get distracted more easily and find it hard to start or finish tasks.

Autism affects how someone thinks, feels or interacts with others. Autistic people may be passionate about certain topics or activities and have strong emotions. They may find some social situations tricky and often benefit from routines.

Dyslexia makes reading, writing or spelling harder. It has nothing to do with intelligence – people with dyslexia often think in creative ways, are good at problem-solving and have high levels of empathy.

Dyspraxia affects coordination and movement. It might make handwriting, sports or planning tasks harder, but this can mean that people with dyspraxia build resilience and are good at finding innovative ways to overcome obstacles. 

Tourette’s is known for causing tics – these are sudden movements or sounds that are hard to control. People with Tourette's are often faster at putting sounds into words as children, and develop good concentration skills and willpower.