This document discusses the negative impacts of excessive media use and screen time on children's sleep. It reports that blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production and disrupts sleep patterns. Children who use media before bed report shorter sleep duration, daytime fatigue, and difficulty waking. The document reviews guidelines from health organizations recommending limits on screen time and promoting screen-free activities and family meals. It calls for parents, teachers and healthcare providers to educate themselves and children about healthy sleep habits in the digital age.

1. MEDIA USE:
IMPAIRING
SLEEP IN
CHILDREN
BY: KATHERINE BABAYAN
PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS "CHILDREN AT SCHOOL"

2. "NOWADAYS TECHNOLOGY IS
DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN
CHILDRENS' LIVES" (SMAHEL, WRIGHT, AND CERNIKOVA, 2015)
PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA
COMMONS "LENOVO G500S
LAPTOP-2903"
PHOTO SOURCE: PIXABAY
"CELL, PHONE"
PHOTO SOURCE: PIXABAY
"DIGITAL, TABLET"
PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA
COMMONS "DUALSHOCK 4"
Children are constantly engaged with their digital devices, even
when they are not actively using them
(KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, 2016)

3. EVIDENCE-BASED BENEFITS OF
DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
EARLY LEARNING
EXPOSURE TO NEW IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE
INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL CONTACT AND SUPPORT
NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS HEALTH PROMOTION MESSAGES
AND INFORMATION
PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS "BLACKLIT KEYBOARD"
(CHASSIAKOS, RADESKY, CHRISTAKIS, MORENO, & CROSS, 2016)
1
2
3
4

4. PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "006 - STUDENTS USING TECHNOLOGY" BY BRAD FLICKINGER
BUTWHATDOCHILDRENREALLYTHINK
ABOUTTHEIMPACTOFDIGITALMEDIA
ONTHEIRHEALTH?

5. EXCESSIVE
DAYTIME
FATIGUE
SHORTER
SLEEP
DURATION
SLEEPING
LATE AT
NIGHT
NIGHTMARES AFTER MEDIA
USE WITH
VIOLENT
CONTENT
DIFFICULTY
WAKING
INCREASED
SLEEP ONSET
LATENCY
INCREASED
MEDIA USE
BEFORE SLEEP
USE LEADS TO:
CHILDREN
REPORT
THAT...
(SMAHEL, WRIGHT, & CERNIKOVA, 2015)

6. HOW ELSE DOES MEDIA
USE AFFECT SLEEP?
Current research suggests that blue light
emitted from screens negatively impacts
patterns of sleep
Blue light emissions cause suppression of
endogenous melatonin, which is an
essential hormone for sleep regulation
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "CELL PHONE'S LIGHT" BY KOHEI 314
(CHASSIAKOS, ET AL., 2016)
(CHANG, 2016)

7. OF CHILDREN HAVE AT
LEAST ONE ELECTRONIC DEVICE IN
THEIR BEDROOM, FURTHER
PROMOTING EVENING USE
28%
72%
72%
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR ".8 APPLE-ESQUE*" BY JOHAN LARSSON
(KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, 2016)

8. MEDIA USE AT SCHOOL
SHIFTING FROM
TEXTBOOKS
DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "COMPUTER LAB - 4TH GRADE" BY WOODLEYWONDERWORKS

9. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT...
Students comprehend less when they read on a screen compared to
reading on paper
Why? Screen-based reading is more physically and mentally draining
Students scored lower on a reading comprehension exam via
computer compared to those completing it on paper and
reported greater levels of stress and fatigue
(JABR, 2013)
PHOTO SOURCE: PIXABAY "MAC"

10. EASTWAY UNIVERSITY
OF SOCIAL SCIENCES WWW.EUSS.EDU
HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD
CHILDREN BE SPENDING ON
DIFFERENT ONLINE ACTIVITIES AT
SCHOOL IN ORDER TO REDUCE
DAYTIME FATIGUE AND PREVENT
FURTHER SLEEP IMPAIRMENT?

11. "SLEEP IS AN OFTEN UNDERVALUED BUT IMPORTANT PART
OF CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, WITH A REGULAR LACK OF
SLEEP CAUSING A VARIETY OF HEALTH PROBLEMS."
(KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, 2016)
PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA "SLEEPING ON BRAILE"
(KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, 2016)
"WITH THE EVER GROWING POPULARITY OF PORTABLE MEDIA
DEVICES AND THEIR USE IN SCHOOLS AS A REPLACEMENT FOR
TEXTBOOKS, THE PROBLEM OF POOR SLEEP AMONGST
CHILDREN IS LIKELY TO GET WORSE."

12. "IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE A BABYSITTER COME AND YOU
NEED TO GET SOMETHING DONE IN THE HOUSE, IT IS KIND OF YOUR
HELPER, UNFORTUNATELY."
CHALLENGE FOR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
(SZKLARSKI, 2016)
CHILDREN EXPERIENCE "WITHDRAWAL" DURING SCREEN-FREE
MEAL-TIMES (BIELSKI, 2013)

13. DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
IS BECOMING
A MODERN
DAY PACIFIER
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "CELL PHONE BABY" BY SPARKCBC

14. MOVING FORWARD: HOW CAN
WE SUPPORT SLEEP AND
WELLNESS OF
CHILDREN IN THE MEDIA AGE?
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "STUDENT _IPAD_SCHOOL-124" BY BRAD FLICKINGER

15. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT TEACHERS,
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS,
PARENTS, AND CHILDREN ARE
EDUCATED ABOUT:
1. THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF
MEDIA USE ON SLEEP
2. THE STANDARD
RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR
HEALTHY SLEEP IN CHILDREN
(CHANG, 2016)
PHOTO SOURCE: PIXABAY "FREE VECTOR GRAPHIC: FAMILY, PARENTS, KIDS, YOUNG, YOUTH, MAN "
PHOTO SOURCE: FREEPIK "MALE CARTOON POINTING TO WHITEBOARD" BY FLATICON

16. SINCE 2012, CANADIAN GUIDELINES HAVE
RECOMMENDED THAT CHILDREN AGED 5-17
SHOULD LIMIT THEIR SCREEN TIME TO A
MAXIMUM OF 2 HOURS PER DAY
PHOTO SOURCE: PIXABAY "CHILDREN, TV, CHILD, TELEVISION, HOME, PEOPLE, BOY"
(SZKLARSKI, 2016)

17. HOWEVER...
WITH THE EXPLOSION OF THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA,
THE RISE IN SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS, AND GREATER
ONLINE ACADEMIC INVOLVEMENT, THE 2-HOUR RULE HAS
BECOME MUCH MORE CHALLENGING TO IMPLEMENT
NOW, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" APPROACH
TO MEDIA IS NOT EFFECTIVE FOR GUIDING PARENTS,
TEACHERS, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
(MCCARTHY, 2016)
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "COMPUTER CIRCUIT BOARD" BY HARLAND QUARRINGTON

18. THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF
PEDIATRICS (AAP) HAS RECENTLY
DEVELOPED A NEW SET OF GUIDELINES...
(MCCARTHY, 2016)
PHOTO SOURCE: PEXELS (NO ATTRIBUTION REQUIRED)

19. 1. TIME TO DISCONNECT 2. DEVELOP A FAMILY
MEDIA PLAN
3. ENSURE CHILD
MAINTAINS BALANCE:
4. SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
Playtime, meal time, family time,
and homework time should be
screen-free
Charge devices outside of the
bedroom at night
(McCarthy, 2016)
Include guidelines around safe
use of devices - i.e. never while
driving or crossing streets
(McCarthy, 2016)
With sleep, exercise, and
screen-free activities
(McCarthy, 2016)
Children always pay more
attention to what we do than to
what we say (McCarthy, 2016)
From 2013-2014 adult media
consumption increased by 21%
(Robertson, 2014)
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AAP

20. GET INVOLVED!
"Use media with your child.
Learn what they enjoy and talk
to them about it. The more you
are involved in your child's
online life the more you can
help them make safe choices."
(Szklarski, 2016)
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION BY
THE CANADIAN PEDIATRIC SOCIETY
OVERALL GOAL: "TO HELP PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA AND GIVE THEM
PRACTICAL TOOLS THEY CAN USE" (MCCARTHY, 2016)

21. THE CANADIAN PAEDIATRIC SOCIETY
ANNOUNCES THAT A VERY SIMILAR SET OF
RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE INTRODUCED
THIS YEAR IN THEIR UPDATED GUIDELINES
(SZKLARSKI, 2016)
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "IPHONE" BY ANTHONY KELLY

22. IF THERE ARE CLEAR DETRIMENTAL
EFFECTS OF MEDIA USE ON CHILDREN'S
SLEEP, THEN WHY DO WE CONTINUE
TO ALLOW IT IN EXCESS?
IT'S TIME TO GET INVOLVED AND
EDUCATE OURSELVES.
Parents, Teachers &
Health Care Professionals...

23. REFERENCES
Bielski, Z. (2013). Portrait of an e-family: How they're making their hyper-digital lives work. Globe and Mail. Retrieved from
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/how-families-are-making-their-hyper-digital-lives-work/article13924931/
Chang, R. (2016). Impact of Devices on Children's Sleep a Major Concern for Researchers. The Journal: Transforming Education
Through Technology. Retrieved from https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/11/02/impact-of-devices-on-childrens-sleep-a-major-
concern-for-researchers.aspx
Chassiakos, Y. R., Radesky, J., Christakis, D., Moreno, M. A., & Cross, C. (2016). Children and Adolescents
and Digital Media. American Academy of Pediatrics, 138(5), 1-20.
McCarthy, C. (2016). New expert recommendations on children and media use. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved
from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-expert-recommendations-on-media-use-and-children-2016102510564
Jabr, F. (2013). The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens. Scientific American. Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/
King's College London. (2016). Bedtime use of media devices more than doubles the risk of poor sleep in children. Science Daily.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161031111328.htm
Robertson, S. K. (2014). Four ways Canadians are consuming media differently. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved
from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/four-ways-canadians-are-consuming-
media-differently/article21949630/)/
Smahel, D., Wright, M. F., & Cernikova, M. (2015). The impact of digital media on health: children's perspectives. International
Journal of Public Health, 60(2), 131-137.
Szklarski, C. (2016). Canadian doctors offer tips to limit kids' screen time, after U.S. gets new set of guidelines. CBC News Health.
Retrieved from Canadian doctors offer tips to limit kids' screen time, after U.S. gets new set of guidelines
PHOTO SOURCE: FLICKR "080622" BY TAMAKI SONO