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. 2024 Jul 12:15:1290935.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1290935. eCollection 2024.

Associations between media use at bedtime and sleep: a cross-sectional analysis on differences between girls and boys

Tanja Poulain  1   2 , Cornelia Hilbert  1 , Annelie Grundmann  1   2 , Wieland Kiess  1   2
Affiliations

Associations between media use at bedtime and sleep: a cross-sectional analysis on differences between girls and boys

Tanja Poulain et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated associations between the use of electronic media and sleep in children and young adolescents, with a specific focus on the moderation of associations by sex and age.

Methods: Between 2021 and 2022, 453 10- to 14-year-old children participating in the LIFE Child cohort study (Germany) reported on their use of electronic media (daily screen time, use at bedtime, device ownership) and on their sleep difficulties (Sleep Self Report). Associations between media use and sleep as well as interactions with age and sex were assessed using linear regression analyses.

Results: The analyses revealed significant associations between the use of media at bedtime and bedtime problems (in girls only), sleep behavior problems (in girls only), and daytime sleepiness (in girls and boys). Daily screen time, in contrast, was associated with none of the sleep difficulties. The number of media devices owned by the child was only associated with bedtime problems in girls, and this association lost statistical significance once media use at bedtime was included as further predictor.

Conclusion: The findings underline the potentially sleep-disturbing role of electronic media at bedtime. Furthermore, they suggest that this effect is more pronounced in girls than in boys.

Keywords: bedtime; media use; screen time; sex differences; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations between bedtime media use and bedtime problems (left), sleep behavior problems (middle), and daytime sleepiness (right) in boys and girls; the associations between bedtime media use and bedtime problems as well as sleep behavior problems were significant in girls only.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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