Τι μάθαμε από το Adolescence: Η Kaspersky διερευνά τους ψηφιακούς κινδύνους για τους εφήβου

by Αγγελική Λάλου
3 Απριλίου 2025

Πώς να κρατήσετε τα παιδιά σας μακριά από διαδικτυακούς κινδύνους


Ηνέα σειρά του Netflix, Εφηβεία (Adolescence) γρήγορα προκάλεσε ένα κύμα συζητήσεων σχετικά με την ψυχική υγεία των εφήβων και την ψηφιακή ασφάλεια. Η ανατριχιαστική ιστορία που εκτυλίσσεται σε τέσσερα επεισόδια ακολουθεί ένα 13χρονο αγόρι, το οποίο, μετά από μήνες διαδικτυακού εκφοβισμού και έκθεσης σε τοξικές online κοινότητες, μπαίνει στο στόχαστρο των αρχών ως ύποπτος για τη δολοφονία μίας συμμαθήτριάς του. Η σειρά εξερευνά θέματα όπως η νεανική βία, ο εκφοβισμός και η επιρροή των social media στους νέους. Με αφορμή τα ερωτήματα που θέτει το Adolescence, η Kaspersky αναλύει πώς οι γονείς μπορούν να στηρίξουν και να προστατεύσουν τα παιδιά και τους εφήβους στο διαδίκτυο — όχι μόνο ελέγχοντας την πρόσβαση, αλλά χτίζοντας ένα κλίμα εμπιστοσύνης και ενισχύοντας τον ψηφιακό γραμματισμό.


Σύμφωνα με την έρευνα της Kaspersky, το 61% των παιδιών αποκτούν την πρώτη τους συσκευή όταν βρίσκονται μεταξύ 8 και 12 ετών. Αυτή η πρώιμη επαφή με την τεχνολογία δεν είναι απαραίτητα αρνητική: Τα ψηφιακά εργαλεία μπορούν να υποστηρίξουν τη μάθηση, τη δημιουργικότητα και την κοινωνικότητα. Ωστόσο, αυτό που λείπει συχνά είναι μια δομημένη εισαγωγή στον διαδικτυακό κόσμο — μια προσέγγιση που να ανταποκρίνεται στην ψυχοσυναισθηματική και γνωστική ανάπτυξη του παιδιού. Το να ξέρει κανείς πώς να χρησιμοποιεί μια συσκευή δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα ότι γνωρίζει πώς να τη χρησιμοποιεί με ασφάλεια. Τα παιδιά εκτίθενται σε ένα τεράστιο, σε μεγάλο βαθμό μη φιλτραρισμένο, ψηφιακό οικοσύστημα πολύ πριν αποκτήσουν την ικανότητα να αξιολογούν κριτικά το περιεχόμενο, να θέτουν όρια ή να κατανοούν τις μακροπρόθεσμες συνέπειες της διαδικτυακής τους συμπεριφοράς. Ως αποτέλεσμα, οι πρώτες τους εμπειρίες στο διαδίκτυο μπορεί να τα φέρουν σε επαφή με ακατάλληλο περιεχόμενο, επιθετική συμπεριφορά από συνομηλίκους ή την πίεση της κοινωνικής σύγκρισης.

Η έκθεση σε επιβλαβές ή ακατάλληλο περιεχόμενο είναι ένας από τους πιο συνηθισμένους διαδικτυακούς κινδύνους για τα παιδιά — και ταυτόχρονα ένας από τους πιο εύκολα υποτιμημένους. Σύμφωνα με την έκθεση της Kaspersky, μόλις το 50% των γονέων δηλώνουν ότι συζητούν τακτικά με τα παιδιά τους για την ασφάλεια στο διαδίκτυο, αφήνοντας έτσι περιθώριο κινδύνου. Ένα παιδί που παρακολουθεί αθώα βίντεο μπορεί, μέσα σε λίγα μόνο κλικ, να εκτεθεί σε βίαιο ή άσεμνο περιεχόμενο. Χωρίς τη χρήση φίλτρων περιεχομένου ή γνώση του τι ακριβώς παρακολουθούν τα παιδιά τους, πολλοί γονείς ίσως δεν αντιλαμβάνονται πόσο γρήγορα το ψηφιακό περιβάλλον μπορεί να επηρεάσει τη σκέψη και τη συμπεριφορά των παιδιών.


Ο διαδικτυακός εκφοβισμός (cyberbullying) είναι μία από τις πιο γνωστές ψηφιακές απειλές που αντιμετωπίζουν σήμερα τα παιδιά και οι έφηβοι — και ταυτόχρονα μία από τις πιο δύσκολα εντοπίσιμες από τους γονείς. Σε αντίθεση με τον παραδοσιακό εκφοβισμό, το cyberbullying δεν απαιτεί φυσική παρουσία. Αντιθέτως, συμβαίνει μέσω συσκευών και πλατφορμών που οι έφηβοι χρησιμοποιούν καθημερινά, γεγονός που μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε επαναλαμβανόμενη και αναπόφευκτη κακοποίηση. Από την πλαστοπροσωπία μέσω ψεύτικων λογαριασμών μέχρι την κοινοποίηση εξευτελιστικών στιγμιότυπων οθόνης, memes ή βίντεο, ο διαδικτυακός εκφοβισμός μπορεί να είναι συντονισμένος, επίμονος και συχνά να περνά απαρατήρητος από τους ενήλικες — ειδικά όταν συμβαίνει σε ιδιωτικές συνομιλίες, κλειστές ομάδες ή μέσα από περιεχόμενο που εξαφανίζεται, όπως τα Stories.

Όταν τέτοιου είδους παρενόχληση δεν αντιμετωπίζεται, συχνά οδηγεί τους εφήβους σε ακόμα μεγαλύτερη ψηφιακή απομόνωση — όχι μόνο από τους συνομηλίκους τους, αλλά και από τις οικογένειές τους. Αναζητώντας υποστήριξη ή την αίσθηση ότι ανήκουν κάπου, κάποιοι στρέφονται σε ανώνυμες ή εξειδικευμένες διαδικτυακές κοινότητες, οι οποίες παρουσιάζουν επικίνδυνες ιδέες ως φυσιολογικές, εκμεταλλευόμενες την ευαλωτότητα των νέων — όπως αποτυπώνεται και στη σειρά Adolescence. Η ψηφιακή απομόνωση και η μοναξιά ωθούν τον κεντρικό χαρακτήρα να εμπλακεί βαθιά σε τοξικές διαδικτυακές υποκουλτούρες μέσα από εξειδικευμένα φόρουμ. Οι ενήλικες ίσως δύσκολα μπορούν να εντοπίσουν τη δραστηριότητα των εφήβων σε τέτοια περιβάλλοντα, ειδικά όταν αυτοί την αποκρύπτουν για να αποφύγουν τον έλεγχο.

Για να περάσουν από την ψηφιακή απομόνωση στον ψηφιακό διάλογο, οι γονείς θα πρέπει να δώσουν ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στη δημιουργία μιας σχέσης όπου οι έφηβοι νιώθουν άνετα να μιλήσουν όταν κάτι δεν πάει καλά στο διαδίκτυο. Από ύποπτους συνδέσμους phishing και μηνύματα αμφίβολης προέλευσης έως ανεπιθύμητες επαφές και επιβλαβές περιεχόμενο, η έγκαιρη ανίχνευση αυτών των κινδύνων εξαρτάται από το αν ένας έφηβος νιώθει αρκετά ασφαλής ώστε να πει: «Κάτι δεν πάει καλά».

Ωστόσο, ο διάλογος από μόνος του δεν είναι πάντα αρκετός — ειδικά όταν οι γονείς δεν γνωρίζουν τι πρέπει να προσέξουν. Σε αυτό το σημείο, οι εφαρμογές γονικού ελέγχου μπορούν να αποδειχθούν πολύτιμες, αφού παρέχουν στους γονείς άμεση πληροφόρηση, ειδοποιήσεις για επικίνδυνες συμπεριφορές και έξυπνα εργαλεία που βοηθούν τις οικογένειες να παραμένουν ενημερωμένες — χωρίς να φτάνουν στα όρια της ψηφιακής παρακολούθησης. Σε συνδυασμό με την καλλιέργεια εμπιστοσύνης και ανοιχτής επικοινωνίας, αυτές οι τεχνολογίες αποτελούν ένα ισχυρό μέσο για να παραμείνουν οι γονείς συνδεδεμένοι με τον διαδικτυακό κόσμο του παιδιού τους και να παρέμβουν έγκαιρα, προτού ο κίνδυνος κορυφωθεί.


Παρόλο που η σειρά πραγματεύεται τους ψηφιακούς κινδύνους, η ίδια η δημοφιλία της έχει γίνει προϊόν εκμετάλλευσης και από κυβερνοεγκληματίες. Οι ερευνητές της Kaspersky έχουν εντοπίσει σελίδες phishing που προσφέρουν δωρεάν λήψεις επεισοδίων της σειράς Adolescence, αλλά αντί αυτού διασπείρουν κακόβουλο λογισμικό. Αυτό αποτελεί σαφή υπενθύμιση ότι το ενδιαφέρον των εφήβων για δημοφιλές ψηφιακό περιεχόμενο μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί εναντίον τους και άρα οι γονείς θα πρέπει να ενημερώνουν τα παιδιά τους για αυτόν τον κίνδυνο, όπως και για τους υπόλοιπους.

«Στη σειρά Adolescence αποτυπώνεται με οδυνηρή ακρίβεια ότι ο κίνδυνος δεν παρουσιάζεται πάντα ως κακόβουλο λογισμικό ή hacking. Κάποιες φορές, έρχεται στη μορφή μίας σταδιακής διάβρωσης της εμπιστοσύνης, όταν το παιδί νιώθει μεγαλύτερη ασφάλεια να ανατρέξει σε ανώνυμα φόρουμ για βοήθεια παρά στην ίδια του την οικογένεια. Ενώ κάποιες διαδικτυακές πλατφόρμες προσφέρουν όντως υποστήριξη, άλλες εκμεταλλεύονται τη σιωπή αυτή, κανονικοποιώντας επικίνδυνες συμπεριφορές ή ενθαρρύνοντας τη μυστικότητα. Γι’ αυτό η ψηφιακή ασφάλεια στο σπίτι δεν μπορεί να βασίζεται μόνο στην παρακολούθηση, αλλά πρέπει να χτίζεται πάνω στον ανοιχτό διάλογο, να γνωρίζουν δηλαδή οι έφηβοι ότι μπορούν να μιλήσουν για όσα βιώνουν διαδικτυακά χωρίς φόβο ή κριτική», δηλώνει ο Andrey Sidenko, privacy expert στην Kaspersky.

Για να παραμείνουν τα παιδιά σας ασφαλή στο διαδίκτυο, η Kaspersky συνιστά τα εξής:

· Μένοντας ενημερωμένοι για τις τελευταίες απειλές και παρακολουθώντας ενεργά τη διαδικτυακή δραστηριότητα των παιδιών τους, οι γονείς μπορούν να δημιουργήσουν ένα ασφαλέστερο διαδικτυακό περιβάλλον για εκείνα.

· Είναι κρίσιμο για τους γονείς να έχουν ανοιχτή επικοινωνία με τα παιδιά τους σχετικά με τους πιθανούς κινδύνους που μπορεί να συναντήσουν στο διαδίκτυο και να εφαρμόσουν αυστηρές οδηγίες για την ασφάλειά τους.

· Θέστε σαφή όρια σχετικά με το τι μπορούν και τι δεν μπορούν να κάνουν στο διαδίκτυο και εξηγήστε τους γιατί έχετε θέσει αυτούς τους κανόνες. Οι γονείς πρέπει να αναθεωρούν αυτούς τους κανόνες καθώς τα παιδιά τους μεγαλώνουν.
See Also


Η σειρά «Εφηβεία» του Netflix αποκαλύπτει κάποια από τα σκοτεινά emoji που κάθε γονιός πρέπει να γνωρίζει



· Για να βοηθήσουν τους γονείς να εισάγουν τα παιδιά τους στην κυβερνοασφάλεια, οι ειδικοί της Kaspersky ανέπτυξαν το Kaspersky Cybersecurity Alphabet. Σε αυτό το βιβλίο, τα παιδιά σας θα γνωρίσουν νέες τεχνολογίες, θα μάθουν τους βασικούς κανόνες για την ασφάλεια στον κυβερνοχώρο, θα ανακαλύψουν πώς να αποφεύγουν διαδικτυακές απειλές και να αναγνωρίζουν τα κόλπα των απατεώνων από μικρή ηλικία. Μπορείτε να κατεβάσετε εδώ το pdf του βιβλίου δωρεάν.

· Οι εξειδικευμένες εφαρμογές για γονείς, όπως το Kaspersky Safe Kids, βοηθούν στην αποτελεσματική προστασία των παιδιών στον διαδικτυακό και τον φυσικό κόσμο. Οι εφαρμογές αυτές μπορούν να βοηθήσουν τους ενήλικες να εξασφαλίσουν μια ασφαλή και θετική ψηφιακή εμπειρία για τα παιδιά τους, δημιουργώντας τις σωστές συνήθειες, προστατεύοντάς τα από ακατάλληλο περιεχόμενο, εξισορροπώντας τον χρόνο που περνούν μπροστά στην οθόνη και παρακολουθώντας τη φυσική τους τοποθεσία.

· Για να εξασφαλίσετε ότι το παιδί σας δεν θα κατεβάσει κακόβουλα αρχεία κατά τη διάρκεια του gaming, σας συμβουλεύουμε να εγκαταστήσετε μια αξιόπιστη λύση ασφαλείας στη συσκευή του.



Σχετικά με την Kaspersky

Η Kaspersky είναι μια παγκόσμια εταιρεία ψηφιακής ασφάλειας με έτος ίδρυσης το 1997. Η βαθιά πληροφόρηση απειλών και η τεχνογνωσία στον τομέα της ασφάλειας της Kaspersky μετατρέπονται συνεχώς σε λύσεις και υπηρεσίες ασφάλειας για την προστασία επιχειρήσεων, κρίσιμων υποδομών, κυβερνήσεων και καταναλωτών σε όλον τον κόσμο. Το ολοκληρωμένο χαρτοφυλάκιο ασφάλειας της εταιρείας περιλαμβάνει την προστασία τερματικών σημείων και μια σειρά εξειδικευμένων λύσεων και υπηρεσιών ασφάλειας για την καταπολέμηση εξελιγμένων και εξελισσόμενων ψηφιακών απειλών. Περισσότεροι από 400 εκατομμύρια χρήστες προστατεύονται από τις τεχνολογίες της Kaspersky και βοηθάμε 220.000 εταιρικούς πελάτες να προστατεύουν ό,τι είναι πιο σημαντικό για αυτούς. Μάθετε περισσότερα στο www.kaspersky.com.

ΠΗΓΗ:

https://childit.gr/%cf%84%ce%b9-%ce%bc%ce%ac%ce%b8%ce%b1%ce%bc%ce%b5-%ce%b1%cf%80%cf%8c-%cf%84%ce%bf-adolescence-%ce%b7-kaspersky-%ce%b4%ce%b9%ce%b5%cf%81%ce%b5%cf%85%ce%bd%ce%ac-%cf%84%ce%bf%cf%85%cf%82-%cf%88%ce%b7/(accessed 4.4.25)

Humans aren’t the only ones whose social circles shrink in old age

New comparative studies illustrate similar social dynamics elsewhere in the animal kingdom.

24 March 2025

ByEmma Young


Previous research has shown that some other species — not just people — see their social networks shrink as they move into old age. Exactly why this should be has not been clear; we have some understanding of why it happens in humans, and what can be done to mitigate any negative effects, but why exactly it happens beyond our species has so far been a mystery. New research, however, poses a novel suggestion.

As Erin R Siracusa at the University of Exeter's School of Psychology and colleagues write in their recent paper in Philosophical Transactions B, though the benefits of social living are well established, "sociality also comes with costs, including infectious disease risks." The team reasoned that with increasing age, and a less effective immune system, the risks of spending time with lots of people might start to outweigh the benefits — and this could drive changes in behaviour.

To explore this idea, they first analysed data gathered on a well-studied population of rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, nicknamed 'Monkey Island', off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. These monkeys were first brought to Cayo Santiago in 1938 from India, and there are now about 1800 individuals living in 12 social groups. They are looked after by the Caribbean Primate Research Center, which keeps daily tabs on them, and collects data on births, deaths, and group memberships.

The team focused on data from 2010 and 2022 on adult females from six social groups. By looking at the total amount of time these animals spent grooming or being groomed by another macaque and their total number of grooming partners, they plotted these individuals' social connections over time.

Then, they modelled the spread of a hypothetical respiratory virus through these social networks. This model took into account that older animals are more at risk of developing an infection; that they are likely to stay sick for longer than younger monkeys; and that they are likely to fall more seriously ill.

The team found that older macaques were, in fact, likely to suffer less from infectious disease — and this was mostly because they had smaller social networks.

"Our findings suggest a powerful reason why many animals, including humans, might reduce their social connections as they age," commented Siracusa, in a press release.

However, for some animals, at least, this may not be even an unconscious choice. In another recent paper, Julia Schroeder at Imperial College London and colleagues report the first evidence that with age, birds become less socially connected, too. This finding came from their analysis of six years' worth of social interaction data on a population of wild sparrows living on Lundy Island, in Devon, UK. Schroder and her colleagues found that as the birds got older, they interacted less overall with other birds, and they also interacted with fewer other individuals.

However, the team don't suggest that this might have reflected a drive to reduce infection risks. They think it could have happened because as older birds' 'friends' died off, their social network shrank. And, they add, while birds are capable of making new friends (or 'associates', as the researchers call them), with age, the costs of maintaining and making new connections might become greater, because they have to compete for associates with younger birds. More work is needed though, to explore this theory. "To fully understand the effects of demography on sociality, we need to better understand the changing costs and benefits across ages of maintaining and making new connections," Schroder and her colleagues write.

With more research, we should also get a better handle on all the reasons — and the potential pros, as well as the cons — for why older birds, monkeys, humans, as well as some other species, tend to have smaller social circles than they did when they were younger.

Read the first paper (preprint) here:
Siracusa, E. R., Pavez-Fox, M. A., Neg

ron-Del Valle, J. E., Phillips, D., Platt, M. L., Snyder-Mackler, N., Higham, J. P., Brent, L. J. N., & Silk, M. J. (2024). Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate. BioRxiv : The Preprint Server for Biology, 2024.03.09.584237. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.09.584237

Read the second paper here:
Schroeder, J., Dunning, J., Hoi, A., Janet, Y., & Burke, T. (2024). Not so social in old age: demography as one driver of decreasing sociality. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 379(1916). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0458

SOURCE:

https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/humans-arent-only-ones-whose-social-circles-shrink-old-age (accessed 2.4.25)

Autism – 11 ways we can cultivate positive change

Deputy Editor Jennifer Gledhill looks at how psychologists can challenge and shift stereotypes surrounding autism.

26 February 2025

1. Question outdated communication rules

'You don't have to look far to find derogatory descriptions of the communication of autistic people' says Dr Rebecca Wood, researcher at King's College and organiser of the How I Communicate Conference. 'Sadly, it's just a short hop, skip and jump between the notion of communication impairment and cognitive dysfunction. The assumption is that if someone doesn't use speech, if their words are infrequent or produced in unanticipated ways, then their thoughts must also be limited, jumbled and infantile. It's the supposition that non or occasional speech use equates to intellectual disability and "developmental delay" that is responsible for autistic people having poor access to healthcare, being failed by the criminal justice system and misunderstood and excluded from education settings.'

How to change? Allow autistic children to access their interests. Wood's school-based study found that all too often, 'communication support would lapse into communication control'. Her study found that when autistic children were able to access their very strong interests in school, it was highly advantageous to their communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
2. Don't pathologise special interest

'Monotropism provides a far more comprehensive explanation for autistic cognition than any of its competitors,' argues autistic writer, Fergus Murray, and, he explains, 'it's finally getting more recognition from psychologists'. Monotropism is the tendency for our interests to pull us in more strongly than most people. 'We are all interested in many things, and our interests help direct our attention,' says Murray, 'different interests are salient at different times. In a monotropic mind, fewer interests tend to be aroused at any time, and they attract more of our processing resources, making it harder to deal with things outside of our current attention tunnel.' It's when this way of processing is seen as somehow lacking, that there is a feeling of 'othering'.

In fact, explains Matt Lowry, licensed psychological practitioner (LPP) and co-host of The Autistic Culture podcast, monotropism allows autistic people to enter flow states more regularly and can therefore be beneficial. (Flow being a state in which someone is so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter). Lowry explains that, when autistic people are in monotropic flow, they truly are in a meditative state which can be incredibly healing.

How to change? 'It's simple', argues Murray; 'Never pathologise 'special interests', and don't assume that autistic interests are restricted – there are plenty of ways to get us interested in new things, it's just that they mostly involve taking existing interests and building on them'.
3. Be supportive around autistic inertia

'Autistic inertia essentially describes the tendency to stay focused on one task, and difficulties related to task switching' explains Sarah Boon, author of Young, Autistic and ADHD. 'Even if somebody wants to start or switch to an activity they enjoy, sometimes they can't, due to autistic inertia and feeling stuck on the task or activity they are currently on. This can also apply to starting the day and getting out of bed in the morning.

How to change? Ask the autistic person what would be helpful for them in the workplace or educational setting. Perhaps by offering a few minutes to mentally prepare for a change rather than being expected to manage the change on the spot with no warning is helpful. 'How understanding our colleagues are can make a big difference,' says Boon, 'as they may or may not assume everybody can switch between different activities at a moment's notice'.
4. Always question the research method

'Autistic people have traditionally been seen as subjects of research, rather than in the role of researcher,' says Damian E.M Milton, autistic researcher and lecturer at the University of Kent. 'This is slowly, thankfully, beginning to change. Yet autistic researchers are still a distinct minority, and a participatory ethos more generally can often be held back by financial and bureaucratic constraints'.

How to change? 'A more collaborative approach is needed in setting the research agenda as well as the design and development of support strategies and methodologies,' says Milton. 'Participatory research can relate to a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, with the aim of ceding power from the researcher to the participants.' Andrea MacLeod, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham agrees; 'we can shift the notion that large-scale research is the most valuable and see the value and meaning that small-scale research, which can focus in-depth on very specific context, is more meaningful for autistic individuals and their voices.'

Perhaps even more importantly, a recent study by Sterling University has discovered that the research money spent on studying autism doesn't correlate to what autistic people want from research. Participants' top priority was mental health and wellbeing as well as more focus on non-white autistic populations, parenting and the menopause.
5. Unlearn some of what we have been taught

'Working by neurodiversity affirmative principles involves a significant amount of unlearning when it comes to what we have previously been taught', say practitioners at The Adult Autism Practice. They argue that we can feel uncomfortable reflecting on previous deficit-based practice, which is typically based on knowledge of autistic experience constructed by the perceived neuromajority, rather than autistic people.'

How to change? 'There are many practical ways you can be an ally', explain the team, including only supporting organisations that claim to support autistic people by checking how many board members are autistic. If you are presenting about autistic people at an event and you are neurotypical, ask if an autistic person could do a better job. When evaluating research or academic articles, deliberately focus on reading material from autistic academics, and ask if policies relating to autistic people have had autistic people involved in developing it. These are just a handful of ways that professionals can advocate for system change and help to bring about societal changes faster.
6. Understand that camouflaging takes its toll

Many autistic people report experiencing camouflaging or masking as an obligation, rather than a choice. But whether it's to avoid bullying, ostracism, or simply a feeling of being different, camouflaging takes its toll. A study by Laura Hull and colleagues in 2017, asked 92 autistic adults to answer several questions about their camouflaging behaviours, and its consequences. They reported that the most consistent response from participants was that camouflaging is simply 'exhausting'. In the study, camouflaging was repeatedly depicted as being mentally, physically, and emotionally tiring, requiring intense attentiveness, self-control, and the continued management of a felt sense of discomfort.

How to change? 'We can all play our part', explains Professor Francesca Happe. 'Camouflaging is often driven by negative responses, ostracism and bullying by neurotypical people. A greater understanding and appreciation of autistic differences might mean that autistic people could take off the mask'.
7. Ask if 'social skills' are based only on neurotypical norms

'Efforts to correct atypical development onto a more neurotypical pathway, or to encourage children to blend in, cannot be considered neurodiversity informed,' explain Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson and Dr Dinah Aitken from Mindroom. They give the example of some schools requiring a child to sign a 'behaviour contract' after a period of exclusion as a pre-condition for returning to school. 'This is an unacceptable approach for a neurodivergent child who isn't 'behaving' but is simply 'being'', they argue. 'Another common example of this in practice involves the teaching of 'social skills' based on neurotypical norms to autistic children. Most egregiously, this is sometimes recommended as a solution when an autistic child is being bullied at school – a devastating neglect of duty of care to the autistic child, when the focus should clearly be on changing the behaviour of the bully.'

How to change? 'Remember that children are not just following their own paths; they are headed to different destinations too. A child who is struggling with handwriting may not need more time to get it right – give them the option to get good at typing instead,' say Aitken and Fletcher-Watson. Dr Rebecca Wood's school-based study found that when autistic children were able to access their very strong interests in school, it was highly advantageous to their communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
8. Put the whole person at the centre of the formulation

'Families looking for mental health support for their neurodivergent child have reported they often experience a significant lack in understanding services and community support,' says Dr Emma Svanberg, Autistic Clinical Psychologist and author of Parenting for Humans. 'I was put off a diagnosis for a long time by well-meaning psychologists who couldn't imagine that I was neurodivergent. I think that says more about the stigma and judgment that still exists about what neurodivergence is – and the implicit understanding that we would rather be neurotypical.' Clinical Psychologist, Dr Jen Mance agrees that without 'suitable accommodation being made for a person's neurodiversity, they might experience discrimination, exclusion and be at risk for poor mental health outcomes.'

Professor Kate Tchanturia, Professor in the psychology of eating disorders at King's College London, explains that this has happened in traditional eating disorder units; 'Many traditional, neurotypical ways of supporting eating at in-patient units have left autistic people falling through the net.'

How to change? Use autism coexistence in a recovery journey. As Tchanturia explains, 'Autism should be respected; it comes with lots of strengths. Eating disorders should be treated: no argument about that. But this leads to the question of how they should be treated. Perhaps it could be in a more friendly environment, through sensory wellbeing workshops, providing people with the opportunity to create soothing strategies and toolboxes… Sometimes people are not even aware of these sensory sensitivities if they are not talked about.'
9. Humanise mental health care

A survey by the National Autistic Society revealed that 76 per cent of autistic adults reached out for mental health support in the previous five years, but it also found that mental health services often fail to provide autistic people access to appropriate treatment resulting in unmet health needs and poorer mental health outcomes.



Autistic campaigner, author and National Autism Trainer, Alexis Quinn, has lived experience of being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and campaigns for more training across the NHS and beyond. 'Sadly, like me', says Quinn, 'too many autistic people are inappropriately admitted to mental health hospitals where they experience higher levels of restraint, solitary confinement and disproportionate lengths of stay – five years for autistic people compared to 39 days for non-autistic people.



How to change? Change requires acknowledging the lonely, difficult and often traumatic experiences autistic people incur in many healthcare settings and taking a curious, flexible, and collaborative approach,' says Quinn. 'Having rarely encountered such an approach during my four-year detention, it is clear we need to do things differently.' The National Autism Trainer programme aims to improve the care provided to autistic people whilst in mental health services by offering training to professionals and healthcare workers.


10. Offer extra support for autistic people experiencing menopause

A recent study by researcher, Christine Jenkins and colleagues, examined how menopause can 'amplify' the effects of autism. Participants described how autistic traits, such as sensory sensitivities can be heightened with menopausal symptoms, resulting in overwhelming emotional and physical challenges. For many, the emotional and sensory intensity of menopause was profoundly overwhelming and disorienting. Participants also reported feeling alienated from others due to their autism, finding it hard to connect with neurotypical women or through traditional support groups.

How to change? Offering more inclusive and informed menopause support within medical settings and tailoring care around the needs of autistic people, could alleviate much of the isolation and anxiety associated with menopause.

Similarly, say the researchers, more diverse awareness campaigns could address the knowledge gaps that left many participants feeling unprepared for their symptoms. It's also important to consider such issues from both a lifespan and relationship perspective.
11. Personalise workplace environments

'Only 22 per cent of autistic people in the UK are employed, compared to a disability average of 53 per cent and an abled average of 83 per cent,' says Dr Nancy Doyle, co-director of The Centre for Neurodiversity at Work.

'If we are to create cultures where a wider range of neurotypes can thrive in employment', argues Doyle, 'we need to a different, scalable approach. We need to move beyond the gatekeeping approach of the medical model, beyond the individual approach of the social model and into a biopsychosocial model where workplace environments and workflows are personalised to maximise performance for all employees, rather than the homogenous automatons of the industrial era.'

How to change? 'One development that could be useful', suggests Doyle, 'is the notion of Job Crafting – which suggests that a role can be shaped to form a better fit to the individual leading to better engagement, wellness and performance. The execution of Job Crafting, argues Doyle, 'will involve neuroinclusive measures for assessing the strengths and challenges of all staff, not just those whose rights are legally protected. Job Crafting portends a more personalised approach to performance management, workflow and job design, which is congruent with the replacement of the automaton, heterogeneous workers of the industrial age'.

Illustration above: 'Red nose day', by Michelle Roberts, from Project Art Works. Used as the cover of our special guest edited Jan/Feb 2024 issue, 'Neurodivergence: Change, complexities and challenge'.

This is just a snapshot of our coverage around autism and neurodivergence – find lots more in our archive, and share your favourite pieces via Bluesky.

SOURCE:

https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/autism-11-ways-we-can-cultivate-positive-change(accessed 1.4.25)

Why does 'Adolescence' hit a nerve?

Dr Nihara Krause MBE, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society, watches the Netflix series.

25 March 2025


The recent series Adolescence has sparked widespread discussion, and so I watched it with a mix of trepidation and anticipation. While much attention has been given to toxic digital messaging, these appear to be less the cause and more agitators to vulnerability. The series highlights deeper socio-psychological issues affecting adolescent development and well-being, and for me, two dominant themes emerged from its portrayal: disrespect and shame.

It is impossible to understand the nuances in this series without the benefit of a developmental framework. Adolescence is the bridge between childhood and adulthood. Whilst some cross this bridge seamlessly, others find it a challenge. Most of the time it's a mixture of both. At the end of the bridge is self-identity. The challenge is to get to the end with a sense of knowing who you are, and to reach self-acceptance. The qualities of the young person, their experiences, the environment they grow up in, the role models in their life, the emotional turmoil they experience and the amount of consistent guidance they have, all contribute to helping them make this journey successfully.
Disrespect as a developmental and social concern

Disrespect is a recurrent theme throughout Adolescence, manifesting in multiple settings: within schools, where students are likened to prisoners in a 'holding pen'; towards authority figures, including parents, teachers, law enforcement, and mental health professionals; through digital violations, such as sexting or cyber bullying; and systemic disrespect and violence, particularly towards girls and women.

Research on adolescent behaviour suggests that respect is not innate but learned through social interactions. Theories of social learning (such as Albert Bandura's) emphasise that behaviours, including disrespect, are modelled and reinforced by environmental factors. Lack of respected role models, exposure to inconsistent authority figures, low self-worth, unmet emotional needs, and pervasive digital influences can all contribute to a breakdown in mutual respect. Adolescence highlights the importance of emotionally engaged father figures for boys. Whilst male teachers may well fill this role as alternatives, in the series, male teachers are either ineffective or authoritarian, often unable, due to the pressures they face, to focus on the emotions underlying the behaviours that are being expressed – thereby, one can only but hypothesise, leaving a space for dominant males in the online arena to step in.

Respect is critical in shaping adolescent development. Research (including Diana Baumrind's work) indicate that environments emphasising mutual respect foster emotional security, social competence, and ethical decision-making. Clear boundaries and fair discipline help adolescents build trust, emotional connections, and resilience. When respect is absent, adolescents may struggle with perspective-taking and empathy, potentially leading to antisocial behaviour or withdrawal, well depicted in Adolescence.
The role of shame in adolescent identity formation

Shame is another central theme, permeating nearly every aspect of Adolescence. This includes social shame, such as not having friends or lacking social media presence; familial shame, such as having well-meaning but non-understanding parents; uninvolved parents or what it means to have a relative in prison; peer generated shame, including bullying, cyber bullying, name calling or intimidation. Most significantly and depicted as the core motive and most painful to watch, there is personal shame, including feelings of unattractiveness, weakness and social rejection.

We psychologists know from Paul Gilbert's work that shame is a powerful and deeply social emotion that significantly influences thoughts, behaviours, and mental health. Shame is internalised and impacts an individual's self-concept. Adolescents are vulnerable to shame due to the developmental task (in Erikson's terms) of identity formation. When shame is compounded by social rejection or failure, it can contribute to depression, anxiety, and maladaptive coping mechanisms, including risky online behaviour.
Identity, disrespect, shame and digital spaces

There is no doubt that there is an external menace in the form of media and online interactions that needs adult monitoring, supervision, censoring and selected blacklisting. For a vulnerable adolescent who is trying to negotiate their sense of self from an already flawed perspective, escaping online provides solace, the potential to seek validation and to engage in risky behaviour. The fact that most adults know little of the online world means that they are unable to offer protection, in the way they would usually do.

Adolescence highlights how shame can be exacerbated in digital spaces. Adolescents seek validation online, where they are susceptible to unrealistic comparisons and external criticism. The absence of adult guidance in navigating these digital environments, often interacted with frequency, in the quiet of a bedroom, further compounds vulnerability. Research (e.g. from Jean Twenge and colleagues) suggests that online interactions can intensify feelings of inadequacy, particularly when adolescents rely on social engagement for self-worth. In addition to knowing more, adults must actively engage with and understand the role of digital landscapes for their young person to provide the necessary supervision and support. However, it is not helpful for us to place the problem purely 'out there' in a digital world.
Something can be done!

As a clinical psychologist with extensive experience working with adolescents and adults, educational institutions, and statutory services, I would like to point out that while Adolescence portrays a disturbing slice of modern life, it is not representative of the norm. Certain vulnerabilities – within individuals, families, peer groups, and school environments – must converge to produce the devastating outcomes depicted in the series.

However, proactive steps can mitigate these risks. These include:

- cultivating respectful environments through schools, families, and communities,

- emphasising mutual respect through positive role modelling and consistent guidance;

- establishing clear boundaries, since adolescents require structured environments with clear expectations and consequences to support their emotional and social development;

- parental and community engagement through open communication, providing guidance in navigating this complicated developmental journey, ensuring they do not turn solely to peers or anonymous online figures for guidance;

- education on understanding digital risks so they can openly and effectively monitor, supervise, and support young people online.

Finally, what Adolescence really highlighted for me – watching as both a professional and a parent – is the importance of key adults in an adolescent's life being available to address their emotional needs, to help combat competing toxic influences and enable them to navigate their journey into healthy adulthood from a much earlier age than themselves.
An unrealistic session?

The editor also invited me to comment specifically on the episode featuring Jamie's encounters with a Psychologist. I have to admit that I found this one the most difficult to believe; I'm not sure if the script writers consulted with a Psychologist over the accuracy of this scenario.

Firstly, you wouldn't really bring your client their favourite drink (hot too – you would risk it being thrown all over you) and make them a homemade sandwich!

Secondly, when the Psychologist left the room, she left her bag and coat in the room. It would generally not be considered good clinical practice or safe practice in police custody to take it in the first place, and then to leave it with all your papers (especially when Jamie had demanded to see the notes), potentially a sharp object like a pen in there etc.

Third, it would not be permitted for the Psychologist to be alone with Jamie – who is accused of murder, after all, and is shown (as is his father) as having emotional regulation issues.

Fourth, there were numerous leading questions on masculinity, which wouldn't be the way to approach an assessment.

Finally, to have not agreed on the number of assessments sessions and her clear role, so that there are no negotiated boundaries, seems very wrong in terms of an emotionally vulnerable boy getting attached / developing trust with someone (especially a woman).

SOURCE:

https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/why-does-adolescence-hit-nerve(accessed  25.3.25)

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