Screen time at bedtime harming kids’ sleep, researchers show

Insufficient sleep over an extended period can have long-term health effects on children. Tablets and smartphones can play a significant role here, researchers say. — dpa

Smartphones, tablets and other portable screens should be banned from children’s bedrooms around bedtime, experts have long said. And yet sleep-deprived, overworked parents often still allow devices at nighttime. Research now shows the impact of bedtime screen time.

Electronic media use by children and adolescents generally results in less sleep and in many cases poor sleep as well, report Danish researchers in a systematic review of previous studies.