Love.com : Young People with Intellectual Disabilities and the Usage of the Internet

Introduction and method: The Internet has become a common way for people to contact each other, to flirt and start relationships. How does this development influence today’s young people with intellectual disabilities (ID)? This qualitative study is based on interviews with 10 young people with intellectual disabilities and 12 staff members in Sweden. Findings and discussion: Young people with ID also use Internet, mainly for social and romantic reasons. They view the Internet as a positive arena where they can be “like everybody else” without mentioning their disabilities. It is seen as a “free-zone” from the control by staff members and parents. People around them tend to worry and focus on the risks of being deluded or abused involved in the usage. The young people themselves perceive the risks for disappointments or unfulfilled expectations in a partner as the more serious risk. Recommendations: It is important to meet the young people’s need of being a part of the youth net-culture, where they can social contacts and practicing communication and spelling. But also it is vital to inform about the risks of being deluded or abused in a nuanced way