Is screen time or television bad for my child's sleep?
The negative effects of television on children’s overall wellbeing is well documented. It is also a hot topic in the sleep sector with evidence suggesting that T.V. or screentime can affect children’s sleep quality. This subject is even more relevant with schools and childcare providers closing due to the pandemic of Coronavirus. Perhaps you are in isolation asking yourself ‘how much television is acceptable for my child’?
According to Ofcom’s (2018) “Children and parents: media use and attitudes report”, 19% of 3-4 year olds have their own tablet, 96% watch tv on a television for 14 hours per week and 1% of have a social media profile. I should imagine that these figures have increased since most families across the world are currently in Isolation.
The Guardian newspaper recently published that over 11,000 children in 2018-2019 under the age of 16 were hospitalised for sleep related disorders, the question arises how much does screen time contributes to sleep problems in early childhood? Also, do we need to consider the impact of sleep deprivation in such challenging times?
Why does screentime affect children’s sleep?
Light is one of the major influences that determines when we “should” be awake or asleep. There are many different colours on the light spectrum, ranging from red to violet. Daylight is in the middle of the spectrum, this type of light is beneficial for promoting good quality sleep.
Whereas screens such as televisions, smart phones, tablets and computers emit blue light which is at the violet end of spectrum. Blue light delays the production of melatonin, known as the sleepy hormone. This sleepy hormone is triggered by darkness in the evening, and it allows us to feel relaxed and ready to fall asleep.
So, exposing your child to blue light before bedtime can have a negative effect on their sleep. For example, they may take a long time to fall asleep or wake frequently through the night. It is also possible that the screen and the content that your child is watching is very mentally stimulating which can also have a negative affect on your child’s sleep.
Equally, if your child is watching more television or screentime due to being isolated at home, this means they maybe less physically active compared to their normal day. This results in your child not expending energy they usually do, making them less tired to fall asleep.
Is it okay for my child to watch more television during the coronavirus?
Having said that, should you feel guilty that your child is watching more television? My answer is no.
It is important to recognise that technology plays a huge part in today’s world. I do believe that removing it from young children’s lives, especially during this pandemic is also almost impossible. There are huge positives to screentime, for example, learning and education, taking time to relax and improving technology skills.
Equally, from your perspective eliminating screen time is totally unrealistic whether you are in isolation or living your normal day to day life. Allowing your child to watch television gives you the chance to take a break from your current stresses and challenges, let’s face it happy parent = happy child (well most of the time). There is no need to feel guilty about using screentime to keep your cool.
In my opinion, it is important to find the balance and creating boundaries, especially when you have a child that is experiencing sleep difficulties. With this in mind, here are 7 tips on how to make sure television doesn’t affect your child’s sleep
How to ensure screentime doesn’t affect your child’s sleep
Age
If you have a baby or toddler who is struggling to sleep, I recommend that your child is exposed to a very limited amount of screentime from the age of 18 months. This is due to the fact that babies and younger toddler’s are not recommended to be sedentary or passive. Physical exertion at this age is key to promoting good quality sleep. You can find screentime guidelines per age of your children here
Limits
Try not to allow any screentime 2 hours before bedtime, and if that’s too much then 1 hour at the minimum. Perhaps after dinner, create wind-down time instead of using technology. For example, listen to audiobooks or calming music, try yoga with your children, read or play with non-stimulating toys.
Moderation
Balance the guidelines and use your own intuition. Moderation is the key here. Make sure your child is physically active for a big part of the day. A balanced day with plenty of exercise, play time, mental stimulation, social interaction, sleep, nutrition, reading as well as screentime is the aim here.
Content
Be sure your child is watching age appropriate content. Apps such as Youtube Kids and BBC Iplayer for Kids (UK Based) are really useful for this as they select content which is appropriate for your child’s age. For sleep, this is important because if content is too frightening or makes your child anxious then this can have a negative impact on your child’s sleep, especially if your child has a vivid imagination. With this in mind, I do not recommend your children being exposed to the current news regarding Coronavirus, even if you have it on in the background.
Bedroom
Remove any screens (and blue light devices) from your child’s bedroom. If your child is experiencing sleep challenges, then I recommend that their bedroom is used for sleep, reading and quiet playing only. It is important for your child to associate their bedroom with just sleep so that they know where and when to sleep. If your child currently falls asleep watching a screen, start by making sure the device is on bedtime mode. Then make a plan to remove this sleep association.
Kindness
Accept that some days these rules (except content) will just go out of the window. This is perhaps because you are working through your own emotions and need some headspace. One day is not going to break you or your children. Be kind to yourself, just see it as a write off day to allow you to gather strength to do other tasks with your children another day.
There are my tips on how to make sure that screentime doesn’t affect your child’s sleep. If you are struggling with being isolated alongside a child that is not sleeping, then consider joining our Facebook Community.
