A new study performed by the Sleep Disorders Center at JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey on 40 boys and girls with an average age of 14 years old has found that young people interact with, on average, 34 text messages after going to bed. Kids sleep with their mobile phones by their side, and then typically get woken up by them at least once a night anywhere between 10 minutes and 4 hours after they finally get a visit from the Sandman. “These activities are not sleep-promoting, like reading a novel or listening to music. They stimulate the brain and depress normal sleep cycles,” said Dr. Peter G. Polos, a member of the team conducting the research.
Girls use texts more than boys, and boys play videogames more than girls, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. What’s shocking is that half the parents had no idea their children were texting in the wee hours of the nights, while the other half have known all along but have said things such as “This is the world we live in, what can you do?” when asked why they didn’t do anything about their child’s problems.
Not getting enough sleep, at that age, leads to problems such as irritability, anxiety, mood swings, depression, and a noticeable drop in critical thinking skills. The simple solution would be to of course ask the kids to surrender their devices before they go to sleep, but then wouldn’t they just pop open their laptop and go to Facebook instead? I’m not a parent, so I can’t say what parents should and should not do to their children, but from personal experience I’ve found that an hour or two of “no screen time” before going to bed has dramatically improved my sleep cycles.
Checking your email just one more time before going to bed can easily transform into a 4 hour browsing session, and I know you’ve all been there.
[Via: Ars.Technica]