Removing screen time in the hour before bed can improve the quality of a toddler’s sleep, the world’s first study of its kind has found.
Researchers from several major London universities enlisted 105 families with toddlers aged 16 to 30 months across the capital.
Participants were split into two groups, with one group told to eliminate all screen time in the hour before bedtime and replace it with a BedtimeBox containing alternative activities such as reading or puzzles. The other group were told to allow screen time for their toddler.
Both groups were tracked over a seven-week period and toddler sleep quality was monitored using a wearable motion tracker.
Parents in the group who eliminated screen time before bed found their toddlers had an improved sleep, with fewer night awakenings.
The research was carried out by the University of the Arts London (UAL), Birkbeck, Queen Mary University of London, University of Bath, and King's College London.
Study lead Professor Tim Smith from the UAL’s Creative Computing Institute, said: “Previous correlational studies have shown that the more screen time toddlers have, the worse they sleep. But it was not possible to know if the screen use was causing sleep problems or vice versa.
“The Bedtime Boost study provides the first preliminary evidence that removing toddler screen use before bed may lead to better sleep. Further work is required to replicate these effects in a larger number of families.”
The findings come amid a debate over whether rules should be introduced in schools to curb screen time for older children.
In February, schools in England were given guidance under the former Conservative government intended to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day, but it is currently non-statutory.
Earlier this month, Labour MP Josh MacAlister introduced a Bill which aims to empower families and cut down on children’s daily smartphone screen time. It will call for a legal requirement to be introduced so all schools in England are mobile-free zones.
Professor Rachael Bedford, head of the Queen Mary Child Development Lab and co-lead on the project, said: “We worked closely with parents and early years practitioners to ensure the Bedtime Boost intervention was low-cost and easy to implement.
“Results suggest the trial was highly feasible for parents, with all of the intervention families completing the trial. However, further work is needed to understand how the varied ways in which families use screen media may influence these effects.”
