Q: [Kids to Teens] Can time in front of a computer, TV or other device
affect my kids’ sleep?
A: After a long day, many of us want to come home and relax in front of
the TV. But that instinct might affect the quality of our sleep. And for
children, the effect of too much screen time too close to bedtime can
be particularly problematic.
Today’s children spend an average of seven hours a day on entertainment
media. Several studies have found a significant relationship between average
hours of sleep and technology use before bedtime. Children who watched
TV or played video games at bedtime were recorded to get 30 minutes less
sleep than those who steered clear of screens for at least an hour before
bed. And children who used a computer at bedtime had approximately 60
minutes less sleep than those who did not.
Sleep is essential for children’s physical, cognitive and emotional
development. Sleep protects kids against everything from obesity to the
common cold. And school performance is also associated with getting sufficient sleep.
I often suggest to my patients that they set a rule banning screen time
for at least one hour before bed. Light from TVs and computer screens
suppress melatonin and affect the quality of a child’s sleep. This
is one reason why it is also important to keep devices out of bedrooms.
The “no screens before bedtime” rule will get exponentially
harder to enforce as kids get older. Many kids do most of their homework
on computers. While all that time Googling ancient Roman irrigation systems
might not “feel” like screen time, to your kids’ brains,
online research is just as much screen time as an epic video game session.
If sleep issues persist, try to make sure your child is spending enough
time outdoors, getting proper exercise and eating a balanced diet. Following
a regular nighttime routine is also key to getting enough shut-eye. But
if you’ve tried everything and your child is still wide-eyed in
the middle of the night, talk to your pediatrician. He or she might refer
you to a sleep specialist.
Dr. Jessica Mangonon is a Hoag Medical Group pediatrician in Irvine.
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