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Screen use before bedtime: Consequences for nighttime sleep in young children

Angela D Staples1, Caroline Hoyniak2, Maureen E McQuillan3

  • 1Eastern Michigan University, United States.

Infant Behavior & Development
|January 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Increased screen time in early childhood is linked to significant sleep problems. This includes difficulties falling asleep and disrupted sleep patterns, affecting both parent reports and objective sleep measures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Development
  • Media and Technology Studies

Background:

  • Growing concern regarding screen time's impact on young children's sleep.
  • Need for objective and subjective measures to assess screen use and sleep quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between screen use and sleep problems in 30-month-old children.
  • To differentiate the effects of observed vs. parent-reported screen time.
  • To correlate screen time with both parent-reported and actigraphy-measured sleep outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Observational assessment of pre-bedtime screen use.
  • Parental reports of screen use during bedtime routines.
  • Actigraphy to measure toddler sleep duration, timing, and variability.
  • Parent-reported sleep problems (e.g., bedtime resistance, night awakenings).

Main Results:

  • Greater screen use, whether observed or reported, correlated with increased parent-reported sleep problems.
  • Higher parent-reported screen use during bedtime routines linked to later sleep onset, shorter sleep duration, and increased sleep variability.
  • Associations found between screen time and both subjective and objective sleep measures.

Conclusions:

  • Screen use before bed and during bedtime routines negatively impacts early childhood sleep.
  • Findings highlight the detrimental effects of screen exposure on sleep quality and consistency in toddlers.
  • Recommendations for managing screen time to improve pediatric sleep health.

Keywords:
ActigraphyBedtime routinesEarly childhoodScreen useSleep

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