St. Cloud Times — The lighted screens of electronic devices attract kids’ eyes in school and at home — and they could be harming sleep patterns.
Winter break brings chances to play and learn with tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. But once school days return, parents might want to evaluate children’s use of devices at night.
The light and content coming from screens, along with their power to captivate kids, have the potential to degrade sleep quality. As a result, skills in school and society can suffer.
Scientific research and interviews with psychologists, professors and others present a complex picture with one clear piece of advice: Kids should avoid screens at bedtime.
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St. Cloud State University psychology professor Carol Borden said screens can prevent kids’ brains and bodies from winding down to lower states of arousal at night.
Sleep-deprived children tend to become irritable and moody over time, she said. Lack of quality sleep can also affect learning skills, attention span and impulsivity — “frontal lobe functions,” Borden said.
