MEDIA USE: IMPAIRING SLEEP IN CHILDRENBY: KATHERINE BABAYAN

P H O T O S O U R C E : W I K I M E D I A C O M M O N S " C H I L D R E N A T S C H O O L "  

"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)

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)

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P H O T O S O U R C E :   F L I C K R     " 0 0 6 - S T U D E N T S U S I N G T E C H N O L O G Y " B Y B R A D F L I C K I N G E R

BUT WHAT DO CHILDREN REALLY THINK

ABOUT THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA

ON THEIR HEALTH?

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...

( S M A H E L , W R I G H T , & C E R N I K O V A , 2 0 1 5 )

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

P H O T O S O U R C E : F L I C K R " C E L L P H O N E ' S L I G H T " B Y K O H E I 3 1 4

( C H A S S I A K O S , E T A L . , 2 0 1 6 )

( C H A N G , 2 0 1 6 )

                            OF CHILDREN HAVE AT

LEAST ONE ELECTRONIC DEVICE IN

THEIR BEDROOM, FURTHER

PROMOTING EVENING USE

28%

72%

72%

P H O T O S O U R C E : F L I C K R " . 8 A P P L E - E S Q U E * " B Y J O H A N L A R S S O N

( K I N G ' S C O L L E G E L O N D O N , 2 0 1 6 )

MEDIA USE AT SCHOOL

SHIFTING FROM

TEXTBOOKS

DIGITAL

TECHNOLOGY

P H O T O S O U R C E : F L I C K R " C O M P U T E R L A B - 4 T H G R A D E " B Y   W O O D L E Y W O N D E R W O R K S

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  ( J A B R , 2 0 1 3 )

P H O T O S O U R C E :   P I X A B A Y   " M A C "

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? 

"SLEEP IS AN OFTEN UNDERVALUED BUT IMPORTANT PART

OF CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, WITH A REGULAR LACK OF

SLEEP CAUSING A VARIETY OF HEALTH PROBLEMS."

( K I N G ' S C O L L E G E L O N D O N , 2 0 1 6 )P H O T O S O U R C E : W I K I P E D I A " S L E E P I N G O N B R A I L E "

( K I N G ' S C O L L E G E L O N D O N , 2 0 1 6 )

"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."

"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 

( S Z K L A R S K I , 2 0 1 6 )  

CHILDREN EXPERIENCE "WITHDRAWAL" DURING SCREEN-FREE

MEAL-TIMES  ( B I E L S K I , 2 0 1 3 )  

DIGITAL

TECHNOLOGY

IS BECOMING

A MODERN

DAY PACIFIER

P H O T O S O U R C E :   F L I C K R " C E L L P H O N E B A B Y " B Y   S P A R K C B C

MOVING FORWARD: HOW CAN WE SUPPORT SLEEP AND

WELLNESS OF  CHILDREN IN THE MEDIA AGE?

P H O T O S O U R C E :   F L I C K R " S T U D E N T _ I P A D _ S C H O O L - 1 2 4 " B Y B R A D F L I C K I N G E R

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 

( C H A N G , 2 0 1 6 )

P H O T O S O U R C E :   P I X A B A Y   " F R E E V E C T O R G R A P H I C : F A M I L Y , P A R E N T S , K I D S , Y O U N G , Y O U T H , M A N "

P H O T O S O U R C E :   F R E E P I K   " M A L E C A R T O O N P O I N T I N G T O W H I T E B O A R D " B Y F L A T I C O N

SINCE 2012, CANADIAN GUIDELINES HAVE

RECOMMENDED THAT CHILDREN AGED 5-17

SHOULD LIMIT THEIR SCREEN TIME TO A

MAXIMUM OF 2 HOURS PER DAY

P H O T O S O U R C E : P I X A B A Y " C H I L D R E N , T V , C H I L D , T E L E V I S I O N , H O M E , P E O P L E , B O Y "

( S Z K L A R S K I , 2 0 1 6 )

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

( M C C A R T H Y , 2 0 1 6 )

P H O T O S O U R C E :   F L I C K R " C O M P U T E R C I R C U I T B O A R D " B Y H A R L A N D Q U A R R I N G T O N

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF

PEDIATRICS (AAP) HAS RECENTLY

DEVELOPED A NEW SET OF GUIDELINES...( M C C A R T H Y , 2 0 1 6 )

P H O T O S O U R C E : P E X E L S ( N O A T T R I B U T I O N R E Q U I R E D )

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

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"  ( M C C A R T H Y , 2 0 1 6 )

THE CANADIAN PAEDIATRIC SOCIETY

ANNOUNCES THAT A VERY SIMILAR SET OF

RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE INTRODUCED

THIS YEAR IN THEIR  UPDATED  GUIDELINES ( S Z K L A R S K I , 2 0 1 6 )

P H O T O S O U R C E :   F L I C K R   " I P H O N E " B Y   A N T H O N Y   K E L L Y

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...

REFERENCESBielski, 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

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