Technology use as a sleep-onset aid: are adolescents using apps to distract themselves from negative thoughts?

Study Objectives: The aim of this study was to; (1) explore whether adolescents use technology as distraction from negative thoughts before sleep, (2) assess whether adolescents who perceive having a sleep problem use technology as distraction more compared to adolescents without sleep complaints, and (3) collect qualitative information about which devices and apps adolescents use as a distraction. Methods: This study used a mixed-methods cross-sectional design, where 684 adolescents (M = 15.1, SD = 1.2, 46% female) answered both quantitative and qualitative questions about their sleep (perceived sleep problem, sleep onset time (SOT), and sleep onset latency [SOL]) and technology use as distraction from negative thoughts. Results: The majority of adolescents answered "yes" or "sometimes" using technology as a distraction from negative thoughts (23.6% and 38.4%). Adolescents who answered "yes" to using technology as distraction were more likely to report having a sleep problem, longer SOL, and later SOT, compared to adolescents who answered "no". The most popular device to distract was the phone, because of its availability, and the most common apps used for distraction included YouTube, Snapchat, and music apps. Conclusions: This study shows that many adolescents use technology to distract themselves from negative thoughts, which may help them manage the sleep-onset process. Thus, distraction may be one mechanism explaining how sleep affects technology use, rather than vice versa.

Wi-Fi off, devices out: do parent-set technology rules play a role in adolescent sleep?

There is limited evidence surrounding the relationship between parent-set technology rules and adolescent sleep. This study had two aims: 1) to investigate the relationship between presence of and compliance to parent-set technology rules and adolescent sleep outcomes and daytime sleepiness; 2) to investigate if compliance, non-compliance, or the absence of rules could moderate the relationship between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Bedtime Procrastination (BtP) on sleep outcomes and daytime sleepiness. A total of 711 adolescents aged 12-18 years old (46% Female, M age  = 15.1, SD = 1.2) were recruited through secondary schools in South Australia. Participants completed a survey containing self-report measures about their sleep, daytime sleepiness, FoMO, BtP, the presence/absence of technology rules in their house, and their compliance to these rules. The study design was cross sectional. Results indicated that the presence of a parent-set technology rule was associated with earlier bedtimes regardless of compliance. Earlier lights out times and increased sleep duration were observed in adolescents who always complied to their rules compared to those who did not comply or did not have parent-set technology rules. BtP and FoMO were associated with later bedtimes, later lights out times, longer sleep onset latency, shorter sleep duration, and more daytime sleepiness. However, parent-set rules did not moderate the links between BtP/FoMO and adolescent sleep. Whilst longitudinal investigations are warranted to examine the directionality of these relationships, the present study suggests that parent-set technology rules may play an important role in protecting adolescent sleep.