Scientists at the University of Otago in New Zealand tracked the screen time and sleep habits of 85 children aged 11 to 14 for one week using body cameras, cameras in their bedrooms, and sleep monitoring devices.
While using screens in the two hours before bed had minimal impact on sleep health, screen time in bed significantly impaired sleep, delaying sleep onset by approximately half an hour and reducing overall sleep duration. However, screen time once in bed did impair their sleep—it stopped them from going to sleep for about half an hour, and reduced the amount of sleep they got that night.
Out of all the participants in the study, 99 percent used screens in the two hours before bed. More than half used screens once in bed, and a third used them after trying to go to sleep for the night.
The type of screen time that had the most significant impact on sleep was screen time that took place in bed, interactive screen time—such as gaming—or screen time when the children used multiple screens at once, for instance, watching a film while playing on a gaming device.
Findings suggested that the impact of screen time on sleep is primarily through time displacement delaying sleep onset rather than any direct effects of blue light or interactive engagement as there was no association found with sleep latency and wakefulness during the sleep period.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children avoid screens an hour before bedtime. In New Zealand, the equivalent official recommendation is for two hours.
The researchers suggest updating current screen time guidelines to align with modern lifestyles, as the existing recommendations may not be practical or appropriate for contemporary living.
Kids: Screen Time Before Bed Affects Sleep Differently Than Thought
Published Sep 03, 2024
Brosnan, B., Haszard, J. J., Meredith-Jones, K. A., Wickham, S., Galland, B. C., & Taylor, R. W. (2024). Screen Use at Bedtime and Sleep Duration and Quality Among Youths. JAMA Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2914
