Research shows that screen time affects toddlers sleep. If screen time (even iPads or iPhones) begins to interfere with daily living and sleeping, you know it is time to cut back. For example, if your toddler refuses to eat without a screen in front of him, or if they have to watch before bedtime and it delays getting to sleep. Caregivers should model good habits with screens and not eat in front of the TV and should put down their phone at mealtimes with the family.
Here is a research study on this phenomenon.
Celeste H. M. Cheung, Rachael Bedford, Irati R. Saez De Urabain, Annette Karmiloff-Smith & Tim J. Smith
Scientific Reports
Traditional screen time (e.g., TV and videogaming) has been linked to sleep problems and poorer developmental outcomes in children. With the advent of portable touchscreen devices, this association may be extending down in age to disrupt the sleep of infants and toddlers, an age when sleep is essential for cognitive development. However, this association has not been demonstrated empirically. This study aims to examine whether frequency of touchscreen use is associated with sleep in infants and toddlers between 6 and 36 months old. An online survey was administered to 715 parents reporting on child media use (daily exposure to TV and use of touchscreens), sleep patterns (night-time and daytime sleep duration, sleep onset—time to fall asleep, and frequencies of night awakenings). Structural equation models controlling for age, sex, TV exposure, and maternal education indicated a significant association between touchscreen use and night-time sleep, daytime sleep, and sleep onset. No significant effect was observed for the number of night awakenings. To our knowledge, this is the first report linking the use of touchscreen with sleep problems in infants and toddlers. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of effects and the mechanisms underlying these associations using detailed sleep tracking.
Media Report: “Touchscreen-Toddlers” Sleep Less, Researchers Say