Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved, multi-step lysosomal degradation process in which a cell degrades its own long-lived proteins and damaged organelles. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) has recently been shown to upregulate the process of autophagy. Previous studies showed that certain microRNAs, including miR-18a, potentially regulate ATM in cancer cells. However, the mechanisms behind the modulation of ATM by miR-18a remain to be elucidated in colon cancer cells. In the present study, we explored the impact of miR-18a on the autophagy process and ATM expression in HCT116 colon cancer cells. To determine whether a preliminary link exists between autophagy and miR-18a, HCT116 cells were irradiated and quantitative (q) PCR was performed to measure miR-18a expression. HCT116 cells were transfected with an miR-18a mimic to study its impact on indicators of autophagy. Western blotting and luciferase assays were implemented to explore the impact of miR-18a on ATM gene expression in HCT116 cells. The results showed that miR-18a expression was strongly stimulated by radiation. Ectopic overexpression of miR-18a in HCT116 cell lines potently enhanced autophagy and ionizing radiation-induced autophagy. Moreover, miR-18a overexpression led to the upregulation of ATM expression and suppression of mTORC1 activity. Results of the present study pertaining to the role of miR-18a in regulating autophagy and ATM gene expression in colon cancer cells revealed a novel function for miR-18a in a critical cellular event and on a crucial gene with significant impacts in cancer development, progression, treatment and in other diseases.