A study led by EDOR Director Professor Rachael Taylor at University of Otago examined the relationship between evening screen time and sleep quality in youths aged 11 to 14 years. Using objective measurements from wearable cameras and accelerometers over four nights, researchers found that screen use in the two hours before bed was not significantly linked to most sleep measures. However, screen use once in bed—particularly interactive activities like gaming and multitasking—was associated with delayed sleep onset and shorter total sleep time. The findings suggest that blanket restrictions on all screen use before bed may not be necessary, and sleep recommendations should be refined to focus on limiting interactive screen activities in bed.
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