Concerns about the impact of social media platforms on youth mental health have led a US surgeon general to propose a warning label for them.
The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health highlighted the potential links between social media use and poor sleep quality among youth.
Given these issues, what specific steps should teens and parents take to improve sleep?
A new national study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, offers insight into screen habits linked to better sleep.
Keep screens out of the bedroom. A television or internet-connected device in the bedroom was associated with shorter sleep duration.
Turn off your phone. Leaving the phone ringing or switching notifications to silent or vibrate was associated with less sleep compared to turning off the phone completely.
Leaving the phone ringing was associated with a 25% higher risk of sleep disturbances compared to turning it off. 16.2% of teens reported being woken up by a phone call, text message, or email after trying to fall asleep in the past week.
Do not use social media or other electronic devices before bed. Using social media, chatting on the Internet, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and watching or streaming movies, videos, or TV shows in bed before bed were all associated with less sleep.
If you wake up during the night, don’t use your phone or social media. A fifth of teens reported using their phone or other device after waking up at night in the past week.
Researchers analyzed data from 9,398 preteens ages 11-12 who are part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. Data was collected in 2018-2021.
Adolescents and their parents answered questions about their sleep habits, and youth were asked about their screen and social media use before bed.
A quarter of preteens had sleep disorders. 16.2% reported being woken up by phone calls, texts or emails in their sleep at least once in the past week. Additionally, 19.3% reported using their phone or other device if they woke up during the night.
“Adolescents can be extremely sensitive to phone alerts, often waking up immediately when they hear their phone,” Nagata said. “Even if the phone is on silent or vibrates, teens can check it overnight. Once they start reading or responding to messages, they can be more alert and active.”
“Understanding the process and being there to support youth in using social media is essential.”
