December 20, 2016
The screens are present even in the bed of adolescents, in the evening and even at night. It is not easy to regulate young people … and yet the findings are alarming.
Teens lose precious hours of sleep
The study by the Morphée network dates back to 2014. American pediatricians all issued their recommendations in October. The observation is serious: half of college students check their phones an hour after dinner, 18% for two hours, 15% text in the middle of the night and 11% schedule their alarm clock to go online at night.
However, the blue light emitted by screens, phones or tablets, reproduces daylight. This phenomenon entailse a physiological shift in the time of falling asleep and therefore shortens the nights of teenagers.
Some tips for parents and educators
This habit has consequences even more serious than the simple lack of sleep – already serious in itself. Indeed, cyberstalking is a reality that now pursues young people into their bedrooms. Other dangers put forward by specialists, sexting. One in ten Americans between the ages of 10 and 19 have sent this type of sexual photo, which can then backfire in the form of harassment.
To counter this and help children to log out for good, Doctor François-Marie Caron, advises to turn off the wifi at night and to keep the phones and other interfaces outside rooms. He adds wanting to preserve teenagers’ sleep by stopping screens one hour before bedtime and of keep periods offline, especially during the family dinner. And always keep a communication with young people to prevent web dangers.
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