Over usage of technology at bedtime causes ill-being after factoring out unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. It may lead to obesity and insomnia, children in particular.
A sample of 234 children of age ranging between 8-17 years was selected, and their parents were surveyed for understanding the interconnection among sleep, technology and inattention in children.
Sleep is fuel to body and mind. Good sleep is vital for the overall well-being of the body. The exposure to artificial blue light due to over usage of devices might disrupt the body’s ability to produce the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. Sleep deprivation and technology usage are intertwined. It makes it harder to settle down to sleep after spending hours on-screen with technology at bedtime.
Spending long hours in front of devices may make kids lethargic and deprive them of any outdoor exercises. Eventually, they resort to unhealthy eating habits leading to an increase in body mass index with time.
However, the link between technology and inattention is not very lucid and yet to be established.
Parents should consider counselling children on adverse effects of technology at bedtime. Practising digital detox and digital curfew can be some ways out in dealing with these problems.