Sleeping Easy: Evening Media Use and Violent Content Affect Children's Sleep

To understand the effects of media content and timing of use on sleep patterns in children, researchers analyzed baseline parent-reported survey data on media use and 1-week media diaries from a randomized trial of 612 children aged 3 to 5 years enrolled in community pediatric practices in Seattle, Washington. Children with English-speaking parents and reported exposure to television, video games, and computers during the week were eligible. Researchers used validated tools to assess sleep habits and violent media content.

Average daily viewing time was 73 minutes; 14 minutes (19%) occurred after 7:00 PM. Eighteen percent of parents reported that their child experienced at least one sleep problem 5 to 7 days per week. The most common problem…