Researchers from University of Bath, University of the Arts London (UAL), Birkbeck, Queen Mary University of London, and King’s College London, published a research paper [1] that presents the results of a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of removing screen time before bedtime in toddlers aged 16–30 months.
105 families, who already used screens with their child before bed were randomly allocated to either the intervention were randomized into three groups:
- Parent-Administered Screen Time Intervention (PASTI) – Caregivers in this group were instructed to remove all screen time in the hour before bed and instead engage their toddlers in alternative activities provided in a bedtime box, such as reading or puzzles.
- Bedtime Box only (BB only) – This group received a bedtime box with similar activities but did not receive any instructions to remove screen time before bed.
- No Intervention (NI)
The trial lasted 7 weeks.
Main Findings
The intervention was highly significant, with 99% participant retention and 94% adherence to PASTI. PASTI participants showed significant reductions in parent-reported screen time compared to the BB and NI groups. The PASTI group also observed small to medium improvements in objectively measured sleep efficiency and night awakenings compared to BB and NI groups. The PASTI group show no significant change in objective measures of attention.
Key Outcomes
- Sleep efficiency improved in the PASTI group compared to BB only and NI.
- Fewer night awakenings were observed in PASTI, though confidence intervals crossed zero.
- No significant differences were found in nighttime sleep duration.
- A small reduction in daytime sleep was seen in PASTI vs NI, but with a limited sample size.
Conclusions
Removing screen time before toddler bedtime showed modest preliminary benefits for sleep. The study supports current paediatric recommendations to avoid screen time before bed.
Further research with a larger, confirmatory trial is needed with a larger number of families included in the study. Some limitations of this study are:
- Reliance on parent-reported screen use data.
- The study did not account for different types of screen content or individual neurodevelopmental profiles.
References
- Pickard H, Chu P, Essex C, et al. Toddler Screen Use Before Bed and Its Effect on Sleep and Attention: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. Published online October 21, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3997 ↩
Photo by Anna Shvets
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