For their proper development and to prevent them from becoming addicted, children have every interest in reducing their screen time or even eliminating it completely. But in a society where screens are omnipresent, it is sometimes complicated, as parents, to prohibit their access. It is therefore common to establish time slots during which the use of screens is permitted.
But parents should not feel guilty: contrary to what has been said in the past, letting them watch television or use tablets before going to bed would have “little impact” on the way they sleep, according to a new study whose conclusions were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and relayed by the Daily Mail.
Specifically, the researchers asked 79 young people aged 11 to 14 to wear a body camera on their chest from three hours before going to bed until they went to bed. Then, in addition to the body camera, a second infrared camera was placed in their bedrooms to capture their screen time while they were in bed. They also wore an actigraph, a watch-sized device that measures sleep.
Finally, after analysis, New Zealand scientists found that their sleep was not affected after using screens in the evening. It was only once they used their devices in bed that it took them longer to fall asleep. A nuance that is sometimes not well understood by parents.
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“Later bedtimes”
“Our results instead suggest that the impact of screen time on sleep is primarily due to the time lag that delays sleep onset rather than any direct effect of blue light or interactive engagement,” explained the authors of the study while recalling that young people seemed “adjust their wake times to ensure a consistent amount of total sleep despite later bedtimes associated with screen use.”
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However, it is important not to minimize the impact of screens linked to excessive use. Indeed, children who regularly use smartphone, tablet and computer screens can be more irritable, have poorer concentration and remember information for half as long as young people who do not. In the past, studies have also found that children who spend more time in front of screens are more likely to develop behavioral problems or childhood depression.
