TOPLINE

Preschool-aged children who used screens for 4 hours or more daily had a higher prevalence of overall sleep disorders. Prolonged screen use was also linked to specific sleep problems, including excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep–wake transition disorders.

METHODOLOGY

• A cross-sectional study evaluated 604 children aged 4 to 5 years enrolled in municipal public schools in Itajaí, Brazil.
• Parents or legal guardians completed a structured questionnaire assessing daily screen time (cell phones, tablets, television, computers) and use of electronic media at bedtime.
• Researchers categorized daily screen time as up to 30 minutes, 30 minutes to 1 hour, 1 to 2 hours, 2 to 3 hours, or 4 hours or more, and assessed whether devices were used to help children fall asleep in the past 6 months.
• The outcome assessed was the presence of sleep disorders in preschoolers, as assessed by the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC).
• Analysis examined associations between screen use and six categories of sleep disorders: disorders in initiating and maintaining sleep, respiratory sleep disorders, arousal disorders, sleep–wake transition disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, and sleep hyperhidrosis.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 88.9% of children used media at bedtime, 66.9% reported using it for more than 1 hour each day, and 17.3% were classified as engaging in prolonged media use.
• Prolonged screen use (≥ 4 hours daily) was associated with increased prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28), sleep–wake transition disorders (aPR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25), and total SDSC score (aPR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28).
• Use of electronic media for more than 1 hour daily was linked to disorders in initiating and maintaining sleep (aPR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03-1.55; P = .025).

IN PRACTICE

"The results of this study support the hypothesis that exposure to screen of electronic devices, mainly prolonged daily media use and/or use before bedtime, is associated with higher prevalence of sleep disorders in the preschool population. These findings reinforce the need for pediatric guidance on limiting daily screen exposure and avoiding electronic media use before bedtime," the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Bruna Luiza Maximo Ramos, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil. It was published online on August 6 in European Journal of Pediatrics.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality between screen time and sleep disorders. The study did not consider specific patterns of screen use, content type, or contextual factors such as parental supervision.

DISCLOSURES

The Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) covered the Article Processing Charge for the publication of the work. The authors reported no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.