5 Reasons Kids Shouldn't Sleep Near Their Devices

  When The Huffington Post and YouGov asked parents how often they let their kids sleep next to their cell phones, 30 percent said they allowed it sometimes or always. Another 30 percent, however, banned cell phones from bedsides entirely.  Of course, setting screen time limits is easier said than done. But since research suggests nighttime can be a particularly detrimental time for kids to use devices, placing parameters around tech use near bedtime is a good place to start. Here are five research-backed reasons you might not want to let your kids sleep near their cell phones:  1. Kids may take longer to fall asleep if they use their phones right before bed. A 2015 study of nearly 10,000 teens, ages 16-19, found that those who used their phones an hour before bedtime had a harder time falling asleep. They were 13-52 percent more likely to take more than 60 minutes to fall asleep. Doctors say that it should normally only take people 15 to 20 minutes.  2. They'll be more likely to lose out on hours of sleep time.  Adolescents who used their phones an hour before bedtime were between 35 and 53 percent more likely to miss two or more hours of sleep a night compared to peers who didn't. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommend that school-aged children get 10 hours of  sleep a night.  The risks associated with losing multiple hours of sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news