According to a study that was published by the Sleep Medicine journal, teens are getting significantly less sleep as smartphone usage increases.
The study was conducted between 2009 and 2015 with a total of 370,000 participating adolescents. The survey included a number of questions about how many hours of sleep they got.
The journal examined the results and concluded that teens are getting a lot less sleep than before smartphones came into our everyday lives. This prompts concerns about potentially serious health consequences.
Zlatan Krizan, a psychologist specializing in sleep and social behaviour at Iowa State University, told CBC News that over the six year period they found “a seismic shift in the amount of sleep that a typical teen gets.”
In a statement, Krizan said:
“The only factor that also increased during the time that could be responsible for the shortened sleep is social media, news online and the kind of activities that mobile phones are used for.”
The survey results showed that 16-17 percent more teens reported less than seven hours of sleep a night in 2015 than they were in 2009. The researchers looked at other factors besides electronic devices that might affect the amount of sleep teens were getting, however, those activities remained stable or reduced within those 6 years.
Getting enough sleep at night is crucial, especially for teens who are growing and learning constantly. In addition to immediate effects, such as performance in school, sleep habits established in the teen years can contribute to sleep patterns and health for adulthood. These future problems can range from obesity and diabetes to depression and substance use.
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There are tons of features on the iPhone such as the blue light filter and scheduled do not disturb mode that can help with these issues, but the problem is that you need the will to actually use these features. Teens don’t give a … about that, their GF just posted a pic and they need to respond first.
Actually I’m surprised those settings cannot be forced on in the parental restriction settings.
I’m surprised patents don’t take their children’s tablet or smartphone an hour or two before their normal bed time.
Um. Don’t leave it up to technology, it’s the parents responsibilty.
Just take the device away from the kids. Is that such a hideous thing to do?
That seems like a botched study. I mean, trying to correlate the usage of smartphones with hours of sleep simply by asking how many hours they got on a 5 or 6 years period? Maybe teens get less sleep as they grow older because they start having a job, going out, studying more for exams… i can assure you I was sleepign more when I was 13 than when I got to 18.
They say the average Canadian child now spends six hours a day staring at a screen and less than eight minutes a day outdoors.
Most likely… and 10 years ago I watched TV and played on my Nintendo DS for 6 hours per day, and 20 years ago kids played on their console connected to a TV, and 30 years ago kids watched television… Same story, different generations. I still managed to play outside when it was sunny and have fun with friends at my local park.
The point was that screen time is increasing and outdoor time decreasing. Also they say that it’s the “junk light” from led’s that are a major part of the problem. It disrupts the bodies natural rhythms, which is why apple and others have started integrating night mode. To try to filter out the most detrimental light.
How is being on an iPhone before sleeping any different than baby boomers watching tv before sleeping ? Why doesn’t the study take in consideration that every teenager I know will most likely spend less time outdoors as they grow up because they simply arent interested in playing hockey in the middle of the street, having to write papers on their computer instead.
When I was a teen I stayed up all night watching movies so ones been swapped for the other.
i’ve been there. before smartphones there was texting. nothing’s changed really. except there’s more visual candy.