The 2-Year Course of Internet Addiction Among a Japanese Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic Sample with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Doctors in Tokyo tracked 89 teens who had autism or ADHD. All were patients at a child psychiatry clinic.

For two years they checked if each teen still met criteria for internet addiction. No treatment was given.

over the study period, 60 out of every 100 teens no longer qualified as addicted. Only 5 new cases showed up.

The numbers matched rates seen in typical high-schoolers. Having autism or ADHD did not make the problem stick longer.

Bozoglan et al. (2022) found that harsh parenting and high parent stress drive screen problems in younger autistic kids. Ryuhei’s teens got better without fixing parenting, because the study watched, not intervened.

Germani et al. (2014) watched autistic symptoms for one year and saw little change. Ryuhei’s two-year window shows the same stability for internet habits, adding time depth.

Broadstock et al. (2007) remind us that almost no pills are proven for teens with ASD. Ryuhei’s natural-remission data support waiting before rushing to medication for screen issues.

You can reassure families: most ASD or ADHD teens outgrow internet addiction by age 16. Use parent-training only when screen use stays high after two years. Skip drugs unless clear harm persists.