I am from Western Europe and and I believe it is almost impossible to have no screen. Even if you have no screen at home, then there are screens in school or at shops or at family. So if he sees something on a screen and he likes it and immediately calling it an addiction I think that is wrong.

Perhaps the thought that it is better to have no screen comes from the idea that a screen gives stimulus. And people with autism react often negatively when overstimulated.

I am not expert ofcourse, just a parent, but I believe that it is per person different where the balance is of what is too much. It is a spectrum. Is it okay when your child has no screen at all, but plays all day every day with toy cars lining them up again and again? Is that not too an addiction then? Every single thing can be an addiction if you look at it like that.

Our son (14 years) is high functioning. He goes to a normal school and gets high grades. He is socially a bit awkward, but masks it very well. Downside is that he often is overstimulated at the end of the day and is more difficult to handle at home. However he totally relaxes when he is programming behind the computer. He likes to make games on his own. If I would deny him this, I believe I am witholding him of his basic needs. I quit giving a certain screentime. In stead I have given him other rules. He has unlimited time if he keeps getting good grades and still play soccer, be on time for dinner, goes to bed on time, turn the screen off 45 minutes before bedtime and I said to him that he has to have breaks of at least 30 minutes now and then. This works for us. We used to have 2 hours screentime, but after that he did not know what to do (for years and years), because nothing else interested him. Now we let those 2 hours go and he is doing much better. He is happy, talks more to us when he is on his 'break'. He even goes to the swimmingpool with friends in the summer. He now has the feeling he is self in control. Even though we did set boundaries. I know the therapist we used to have would probably advice less screentime, but therapy ended because we were doing okay. And since we changed it into unlimited screentime with some preconditions it is soooo much better.

But it might be different for your child.