Child sleep quality linked to media viewing

Wednesday 8th August 2012

A new US study has found that children’s sleep quality is improved by watching ‘age-appropriate’ media, and that violent content can lead to sleep problems.

The University of Seattle in Washington state study involved 565 families with children aged between three and five, with the participants divided into two groups – a ‘media intervention’ group that had limited TV and computer viewing to non-violent and age-appropriate content such as Sesame Street and Curious George, and a control group that were placed on a healthy eating campaign. The investigation was carried out for a period of a year.

At the beginning of the study, some 40% of the children were reported to suffer from some kind of sleep problem – from needing more than 20 minutes to fall asleep on at least two nights a week, to waking up more than once in the night and experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation the following day. These children averaged around one hour of media viewing per day, with around 22 minutes of content deemed ‘violent’.

The study leaders found ‘significant differences’ between the reported sleep quality of the two groups throughout the research period, and due to the fact that time spent watching media was not a controlled part of the investigation it was determined that the nature of the content was the most effective factor.

The results of the study were reported in the journal Pediatrics.

The association between media usage and sleep quality is complex, incorporating issues such as light and noise exposure as well as psychological impacts such as anxiety.

Tags: sleep children quality media

Category: Sleep Research

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