Screen-free bedtimes boost toddler sleep, new research shows

A world-first randomised controlled trial (RCT) of toddler screen time shows that removing screen time in the hour before bed improves the quality of toddler sleep.

It is widely recognised that poor sleep in early childhood is linked to negative outcomes such as health problems, developmental difficulties, and behavioural issues.

The Bedtime Boost study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation is the first RCT supporting paediatric guidance to limit toddler screen time before bed.

Researchers from University of Bath, University of the Arts London (UAL), Birkbeck, Queen Mary University of London, and King’s College London recruited families with 16- to 30-month-old toddlers from across London.

One hundred and five families who already used screens with their child before bed were randomly allocated to either the intervention – parents were asked to remove all screen time in the hour before bed and use a Bedtime Box containing non-screen-based activities instead (e.g. calming play, reading or puzzles) over a 7-week period; or to control conditions, with matched activities but no mention of screen time. Toddler sleep was recorded before and after the intervention using a wearable motion tracker.

Parents in the intervention group were able to successfully remove toddlers’ screen time before bed, and toddlers’ sleep quality improved, with more efficient nighttime sleep and fewer night awakenings.

Professor Rachael Bedford, who oversaw the research at the University of Bath and is now Head of the Queen Mary Child Development Lab and co-lead on the project said: 

“We worked closely with parents and early years practitioners to ensure the Bedtime Boost intervention was low-cost and easy to implement. Results suggest the trial was highly feasible for parents, with all of the intervention families completing the trial. However, further work is needed to understand how the varied ways in which families use screen media may influence these effects.”

Study lead Professor Tim Smith, UAL Creative Computing Institute, said:

“Previous correlational studies have shown that the more screen time toddlers have, the worse they sleep. But it was not possible to know if the screen use was causing sleep problems or vice versa. The Bedtime Boost study provides the first preliminary evidence that removing toddler screen use before bed may lead to better sleep. Further work is required to replicate these effects in a larger number of families.”

The intervention was co-created with families and early-years experts, including representatives from the Early Years Alliance, National Childbirth Trust, The Sleep Charity, and children’s centre staff, to ensure the intervention was as inclusive as possible.

The paper is published open-access in JAMA Pediatrics.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Rebecca Tanswell at the University of Bath press office: 01225 386319 or email rlt54@bath.ac.uk   

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