Study: Kids with Bedroom Cellphone Sleep Less

Cellphones and other “small screen” devices in the bedroom may be just as likely to reduce sleep time for children as TVs do, a new study finds. Previous research shows that children who have a TV in the bedroom tend to get less sleep. The new study was based on questionnaires answered by about 2,000 fourth- and seventh-grade students. They were asked about their sleep habits and their use of cellphones and other small devices, as well as TV. Students who slept near a small screen recorded 20.6 minutes fewer minutes of sleep on a typical weeknight than those who did not have a device nearby. Those who had a TV in the bedroom slept 18.0 minutes fewer each weeknight than those with no TV in the room. The amount of sleep lost was even greater for some groups. These included older children, Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks. The journal Pediatrics published the study January 5.