Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset

Celeste H.M. Cheung, Rachael Bedford, Irati R. Saez De Urabain, Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Tim J. Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

146 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Traditional screen time (e.g. TV and videogaming) has been linked to sleep problems and poorer developmental outcomes in children. With the advent of portable touchscreen devices, this association may be extending down in age to disrupt the sleep of infants and toddlers, an age when sleep is essential for cognitive development. However, this association has not been demonstrated empirically. This study aims to examine whether frequency of touchscreen use is associated with sleep in infants and toddlers between 6 and 36 months of age. An online survey was administered to 715 parents reporting on child media use (daily exposure to TV and use of touchscreens), sleep patterns (night-time and daytime sleep duration, sleep onset-time to fall asleep, and frequencies of night awakenings). Structural equation models controlling for age, sex, TV exposure and maternal education indicated a significant association between touchscreen use and night-time sleep, daytime sleep and sleep onset. No significant effect was observed for the number of night awakenings. To our knowledge, this is the first report linking the use of touchscreen with sleep problems in infants and toddlers. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of effects and the mechanisms underlying these associations using detailed sleep tracking.
Original languageEnglish
Article number46104
JournalScientific Reports
Volume7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Apr 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this