A study led by EDOR Director Professor Rachael Taylor, highlighted in an article in The Conversation, has found that sleep in teenagers was not affected by screen use leading up to bedtime. But the use of screens in bed negatively impacted sleep.
The BED study used wearable body cameras to capture screen use in 85 teenagers, aged 11-14 years, from the two hours before they got into bed until they were in bed and had put their devices down to go to sleep.
Published in the international journal JAMA Pediatrics, the results showed that screen use before bed had little impact on sleep that night. However, screen use once they were in bed reduced the amount of sleep they got by about half an hour.
Interactive screen activities like gaming, or using several devices at once, had a more pronounced effect. Every additional ten minutes of this type of screen time reduced the amount of sleep teenagers got that night by almost the same amount – nine minutes.
Current New Zealand sleep guidelines suggest limiting screen use in the two hours before bedtime. But the BED study has demonstrated that screen use just before bed has little impact on sleep in teenagers. However, use of devices while in bed does affect sleep, so keeping devices out of the bedroom will maximise sleep time for teens.
Find out more about the BED study
- It’s almost impossible to keep teens off their phones in bed – but new research shows it really does affect their sleep. The Conversation, 4 September, 2024
- Keep devices out of bed for better sleep, University of Otago, 4 September, 2024
- Screen Use at Bedtime and Sleep Duration and Quality Among Youths, JAMA Paediatrics, 3 September, 2024