How many children do you know own a cellphone? Or have a television in their room? Children are some of the consumers of technology, leading researchers to ask whether children being negatively affected by this. A study explored the connection between children’s use of electronics (computers, cell phones, video games, and television) before bed and how long and how well they slept.
Parents of about 200 children aged 8 to 17 years old answered questions about their children’s bedtime electronic use, how many hours of sleep they got, any inattentive behaviors their children displayed, and their body mass index. The study showed that children who used cell phones/watched TV before bed slept less, have worse sleep quality, and tended to have a higher body mass index. Kids tend to have a higher BMI if they use electronics before bed because they are replacing what could have been active play time with a sedentary alternative, electronics. There was no connection between bedtime electronic use and inattentiveness.
So, what can you do to help your child avoid these effects in a world surrounded by technology? Researchers suggest having a “charging station” for children’s cell phones away from the bed and have cell phones put up an hour before bed. Researchers also state that children who watch TV before bed sleep 30 minutes less on average than those who don’t watch TV before bed, so you might consider limiting your child’s TV use before bed.
Written by Madison Holman