Sleep and screens before bedtime: what's the real impact?
Blue light, stimulating content, time stolen from sleep: the science behind how screens affect kids falling asleep.
Screens affect sleep in two distinct ways. First, the blue light emitted by tablets, phones, and TVs can delay the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone, pushing back the time it takes to fall asleep. Second — and often the bigger factor — the content itself (fast-paced games or cartoons) keeps the brain in an actively alert state.
Several health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend avoiding screens in the hour before bedtime, and never leaving a screen on in the bedroom overnight. For children under 2, screen exposure is generally discouraged outside of video calls.
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Screen time also often directly eats into time that should go toward sleep or a calming bedtime routine — the 'just a bit more' episode that pushes bedtime later is a well-documented pattern in both children and adults.
In practice, replacing the evening screen with a calm routine — bath, story, dim lighting — remains the best-supported way to promote faster sleep onset and better-quality sleep, regardless of a child's age.
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This information is general and does not replace advice from your healthcare professional (doctor, midwife, nurse, pharmacist). Every situation is unique: always check with them before making a decision. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services.
