How Do Media Devices in Children's Bedrooms Affect Their Sleep?

As media devices, such as smart phones and tablets, have rapidly become a pervasive part of children's and adolescents' lives, their effect on sleep has become a pediatric health concern.

In a meta-analysis, researchers analyzed data from 17 cross-sectional studies of individuals aged 6 to 19 that compared sleep between those with and without access to screen-based media devices near bedtime. Methodological quality of the studies varied, with 2 deemed high quality, 6 low quality, and 9 uncertain quality.

Children who used devices around bedtime three or more times per week, compared with those who used them fewer times, were more likely to have inadequate sleep duration (<10 hours for children and <9 hours for adolescents; pooled odds ratio, …