Is screen time getting in the way of your teen’s sleep?

Adolescents are spending a large portion of their days on electronic devices, and that’s coming at a cost.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics data brief reports more than half of teenagers aged 12 to 17 included in a 2021-2023 survey spent at least four hours a day on digital screens. And 25% of those adolescents reported experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms.

With so many hours spent on electronic devices, other daily activities are taking a backseat, like socializing, being physically active and sleeping. Dr. Innessa Donskoy, a pediatric sleep specialist at Advocate Children’s Hospital, emphasizes that skipping out on these activities can have serious consequences.

“Sleep is essential for our psychological and physical functioning every single day,” she says. “When screen time cuts into our sleep time, we aren’t getting adequate rest and are not only harming our physical health but also our mental health. It’s not uncommon to see instances of depression and anxiety increase as an adolescent’s sleep decreases.”

Dr. Donskoy says that while blue light from devices is partially to blame for lack of sleep, a larger problem is at play.

“Screens create a sedentary activity that doesn’t allow enough sleep pressure to build where you are able to fall asleep early enough in the evening,” she explains. “Instead of taking away screen time entirely, I’ve found that a helpful compromise is to be more intentional about it. Screen time can be timed significantly earlier in the day – or only on certain days of the week.”

She offers important tips for preventing screen time from getting in the way of sleep, including adults modeling healthy use and taking breaks from electronics.

“Replace screen time with something more meaningful and physically active, like working, volunteering, and participating in sports or extracurricular activities,” Dr. Donskoy recommends. “This provides a sense of purpose, which we aren’t getting from staring at our phones. When we feel like full people who contribute to the world around us and make a difference, we require the ‘escape’ of social media even less.”

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