Children who have access to tablets or smartphones in their bedrooms get less sleep than children who do not have the devices with them at night, according to a recent study.
A study from University of California, Berkeley found that having a small screen within reach was slightly worse than a television set when it came to sleep deprivation in a group of 2,000 children aged 9 to 13.
Overall, those with access to smartphones and tablets got nearly 21 fewer minutes of sleep per night than children whose rooms were free of such technology, and they were more likely to say they felt sleep deprived.
Those with a TV in their bedroom got 18 fewer minutes of slumber than kids without televisions in their rooms.
“Presence of a small screen, but not a TV, in the sleep environment, and screen time were associated with perceived insufficient rest or sleep,” said the study, led by Jennifer Falbe of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
“These findings caution against unrestricted screen access in children’s bedrooms”, Ms Falbe said.
It follows a growing set of data finding electronic device use before bed leads to poor quality sleep, including a November study that found adults who use eReaders before bed have greater trouble falling asleep than those who read print books.
The University of Texas study found that the light emitted from eReaders disrupts the natural circadian clock by suppressing levels of melatonin, the hormone that controls the day-night cycle.
In Australia, 63 per cent of children aged between 8 and 11 and 73 per cent of children aged between 12 and 15 either have their own mobile device or use their parent’s mobile devices, according to Trend Micro Australia’s Children & Mobile Device Survey published last July.
ABC/AFP