Sleep: 87% of kids watch screens too much before going to bed 

For a child, a good night’s sleep promotes learning, manages emotions and improves growth. However, according to a study, toddlers’ rest time is reduced. In question, the screens are also present after 5 p.m.

Which place to sleep in families? According to the INSV/MGEN 2022 survey, published on the occasion of the 22nd day of sleep, the sleep quality of parents and their child is strongly linked. “Parents are more likely to have a sleep disorder (56%, 66% in the case of single-parent families) if their child has one”† Likewise, when parents suffer from sleep disorders, a third of children also suffer from it. This is characterized by nightmares for 7% of them and snoring for 6%.

Screens still present in the bedtime ritual

If the screens can change the quality of sleeping, sleeping and falling asleep, they will remain very present in the habits of the little ones before going to sleep. The research shows a daily “Massive consumption of screens among children (87%) even very young (66% among children aged 6 months to 3 years)”† Overall, more than one in two children (55%) spend more than an hour on screens.

“These data are not reassuring because the association between screen exposure after 5 p.m. in the bedroom and the deterioration of sleep quality with the risk of developing hyperactivity syndrome in children has indeed been emphasized.”

Patricia Franco, teacher

Sleep time in children remains insufficient. They “go to bed after 9pm, 38% on weekdays and 67% on weekends, when they are up to 10 years old,” notes Patricia Franco. The risk is that children’s sleep cycles are shifted, which is the case in more than one in two children. Similarly, 45% of children under the age of 3 have irregular sleeping patterns.

“We are already seeing a phase shift in these children over the weekend. They get up later, go to bed later on weekends when, unlike adolescents, this does not correspond to a physiological need for them.

Sleep, to regulate your emotions

Lack of sleep adversely affects children’s day. According to the survey results, 65% of parents acknowledge the impact of sleep deprivation on their children’s attention. One in two parents notice a learning problem in their child. 48% of parents note that when the child does not get enough sleep, it is more difficult to regulate their emotions, including anger (44%).

To improve the quality of sleep, “Parents should be seen as true partners. We need to support their skills”explains Marie-Rose Moro, child psychiatrist, director of La Maison de Solenn.

*OpinionWay survey conducted January 10-17, 2022 among 1,015 people, ages 18 to 65. Self-completion online questionnaire on the CAWI system and according to the quota method, with regard to the region and CSP criteria. Within this representative national sample of parents of children between 6 months and 10 years old, 30% were under 35 years of age and 70% were between 35-64 years.

(ETX Daily Up)

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