SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Social media use by teens is almost universal, and many say they are on it almost constantly, according to a recent advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
What kind of impact could this use be having on their mental and physical health? On KCBS Radio’s “As Prescribed” host Alice Wertz explored what we know so far with UCSF’s. Dr. Jason Nagata, an adolescent medicine specialist.
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In particular, they discussed how social media can influence teens’ sleep schedules. Nagata recently published research on the topic.
“We studied over 10,000 teenagers across the U.S. and found that overall, two thirds of teenagers have an electronic device in their bedroom at night, and 17% reported that they were woken up by notifications at least once in the past week,” said Nagata. “Both having a device in their bedroom and getting notifications overnight was associated with 23% higher risk of having trouble with sleep or sleep disturbance.”
He explained that sleep is important for everyone, but especially crucial for teens, as they are growing and going through puberty. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that teens age 13 to 18 get eight to 10 hours of sleep per day.
While researchers have linked social media use with the risk of sleep disturbance, Wertz and Nagata also noted that it can be a great resource for teens. One example is the support LGBTQ teens can find online.
“On average [LGBTQ youth] report far more hours of recreational screen time per day and this was also linked with worse sleep outcomes,” Nagata said. “So, I do think that certain populations may be at higher risk of higher social media use and poorer sleep.”
There are ways to balance screen time with sleep time, according to Nagata.
“I think that there are a few key take home messages,” he said. “The first is, if at all possible, actually keep screens and mobile devices outside of the bedroom when you go to bed because this is associated with poor sleep.”
Nagata said teens should go ahead and turn off their ringers and notifications before bedtime so they can get enough rest. Concerned parents should also follow screen time rules themselves if they set them up for their teens, he added.
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