New study reveals screen use causes sleep disruption

(COLORADO) —A new study has found that screen use has a health impact among children and adolescents.

The newest study published on Tuesday, May 28 in the journal of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) highlights the impact of too much screen time.

The study found that screen time impairs sleep in children and teens. The review was conducted by 16 leading sleep experts, including two from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), the study synthesizes findings from over 2,200 scientific articles to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations.

“There’s a lot of research out there, but the messaging can be all over the place and people aren’t sure how and for whom media use is actually causing sleep disruption,” said co-first author and former postdoctoral fellow in the Sleep and Development Lab at CU Boulder Lauren Hartstein.

Not only did the study find that screen time keeps children awake, but it also found that it is mostly the content on the screen that keeps them awake. Children who play video games before bed are also affected as it leads to a later bedtime and reduced sleep quality.

After years of research, it also found that behavioral strategies and interventions can mitigate the adverse effects of screen use on sleep health.

The panel of researchers did not reach an agreement on whether light from screens affects any other age groups. They also found insufficient evidence to determine whether overall screen time, light, or content impacts adult sleep. This is due to the fact that adults have “fully matured brains” and reduced susceptibility to social pressures like “fear of missing out” (FOMO).

The study pointed out that teenagers face more sleep challenges as their bodies are naturally changing.

“Their bodies are naturally shifting toward later bedtimes and they have to get up early for school, so they are often very sleep-deprived anyway and may be more susceptible to the impacts of media use,” said Hartstein.

Researchers agreed that setting limits on screen time for youth, especially at night, can help them fall asleep earlier and sleep longer. Parental involvement and setting healthy boundaries will help with the effects of screen time on children.

“Addressing screen use in youth really involves the whole family,” Hartstein emphasized. “It’s important for parents to talk to children about how they use technology and how it could affect their sleep so they can build healthy habits that last a lifetime.”

For more information about the study, click the link above.

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