Most parents worry about the harmful effects of too much screen time on sleep, attention, and processing speed. But a new study has specifically pinpointed the value of removing screen time in the hour before bed to help toddlers improve the quality of their sleep.

The Research

Research teams from several UK-based colleges and universities worked together on a world-first randomized controlled trial of toddler screen time.

The scientists recruited 105 London-based families with toddlers between the ages of 16 months and 30 months who were already using screens of some fort with their children before bed. Qualifications including using a minimum of 10 minutes of screen time in the hour before bed on three or more days per week.

There were three criteria that excluded toddlers from participating in the study:

1. Current participation in another study
2. A generic or neurological condition
3. Premature birth (i.e., born before 37 weeks)

The groups were divided into one of the following:

• For the intervention cohort, parents were asked to remove all screen time in the hour before bed and use a Bedtime Box. The Bedtime Box, which contained non-screen-based activities (such as reading, puzzles, and calming play), was to be used over a seven-week period.

• For the control group, the group was given matched activities but there was no mention of whether or not to use screens.

• No intervention.

To record the toddlers’ sleep before and after the intervention, the children were fitted with wearable motion trackers.

The Results

The intervention group proved to be a success. All of the families in the first cohort were able to remove screen time before bed and the researchers found that the toddlers had:

• Improved sleep quality

• More efficient nighttime sleep

• Fewer night awakenings

“Previous correlational studies have shown that the more screen time toddlers have, the worse they sleep,” explained the study’s lead author, University of Arts London Creative Computing Institute Professor Tim Smith. “But it was not possible to know if the screen use was causing sleep problems or vice versa. The Bedtime Boost study provides the first preliminary evidence that removing toddler screen use before bed may lead to better sleep.”

If a full trial confirms these findings, the parent-administered screen-time intervention may be a new tool for pediatricians to recommend to parents.

The Bedtime Boost study was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The intervention was co-created with families and early-year experts to help ensure the intervention was inclusive. Representatives involved in the intervention included experts from the Early Years Alliance, National Childbirth Trust, The Sleep Charity, and the children’s center staff.

The results were published in the October 21, 2024, edition of the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

MBJ

Wendy Burt-Thomas writes about the brain, mental health and parenting.

Check out the original research:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2825196