Late Night Media Bad For Teens
Conducted at the Sleep Disorders Center at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., the reaserchers found that kids and teens who use media devices like computer, cellphone, and other electronic devices until late night had a greater chance of sleep disorders that cause many problem.
"These activities are not sleep-promoting, like reading a novel or listening to music. They stimulate the brain and depress normal sleep cycles," said study author Dr. Peter G. Polos.
After surveyed on 40 boys and girls with an average age of 14 about their activities after they had gone into their bedroom for the night and were supposed to be sleeping, the researchers found correlations between late-night electronic media use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mood swings, anxiety, depression and poor cognitive functioning (thinking skills) during the day.
About half of the parents of study participants didn't know about this late night media use, said Polos. The others knew, but had a fatalistic attitude.
"They [parents] thought, 'This is the world we live in, what can you do?'" said Polos. But parents need to monitor electronic media use, he said, because "at the end of the day, the parent is still the parent, the child is still the child."
Another reason parents need to monitor media use is to know what is going on in their children's lives, said Expert Richard Gallagher.
"Parents need to take the perspective of what their own lives were like growing up," said Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
"Parents knew if someone came to the door to see their daughter or son," said Gallagher, an associate professor of adolescent psychiatry at New York University, adding that "children should have some privacy, but parents need to make it more comparable to when they were growing up."
HealthDay: Study Finds Teens' Late Night Media Use Comes at a Price
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"These activities are not sleep-promoting, like reading a novel or listening to music. They stimulate the brain and depress normal sleep cycles," said study author Dr. Peter G. Polos.
After surveyed on 40 boys and girls with an average age of 14 about their activities after they had gone into their bedroom for the night and were supposed to be sleeping, the researchers found correlations between late-night electronic media use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mood swings, anxiety, depression and poor cognitive functioning (thinking skills) during the day.
About half of the parents of study participants didn't know about this late night media use, said Polos. The others knew, but had a fatalistic attitude.
"They [parents] thought, 'This is the world we live in, what can you do?'" said Polos. But parents need to monitor electronic media use, he said, because "at the end of the day, the parent is still the parent, the child is still the child."
Another reason parents need to monitor media use is to know what is going on in their children's lives, said Expert Richard Gallagher.
"Parents need to take the perspective of what their own lives were like growing up," said Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
"Parents knew if someone came to the door to see their daughter or son," said Gallagher, an associate professor of adolescent psychiatry at New York University, adding that "children should have some privacy, but parents need to make it more comparable to when they were growing up."
HealthDay: Study Finds Teens' Late Night Media Use Comes at a Price
