Children who are not getting enough sleep and spending a significant amount of time looking at screens have a higher likelihood of making poor decisions, a study published on Wednesday found.
Dr. Michelle Guerrero, lead author and postdoctoral fellow at the CHEO Research Institute and the University of Ottawa said her study looked at the correlation between screen time and behaviour in adolescents.
“We were looking at how excessive screen time leads to impulsive behaviour,” she said.
Guerrero’s study defined impulsive behaviour as acting “without realizing the risk involved or the consequences involved with the behaviour.”
Additionally, impulsive behaviour is often connected with mental health issues and is a key component of ADHD.
“When we don’t think before we act… it has huge impacts on our lives,” she said.
Guerrero said a key discovery in the study was how easily preventable this behaviour is as it involves a minor life adjustment including less screen time and more sleep.
“The behaviours we looked at in our study are modifiable,” she said. “They can be changed right now, today.”
She said her study found children who have their screen time limited to under two hours a day and sleep between nine to eleven hours a night “are less impulsive.” Exercise was also found to be a factor that led to less impulsive children.
There has been a significant amount of research on how screens can affect children’s mental health, Guerrero said, and found the connection to impulsive behaviour unsurprising. Additionally, she said the benefit of a full-night’s sleep is a major determinant of one’s behaviour.
“When people don’t sleep long enough… Their behaviour is more impulsive,” she said.
The paper analysed data for 4,524 children and was titled 24-Hour Movement Behaviours and Impulsivity. It is part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, which intends to follow participants for 10 years.
The paper was published in Pediatrics and was authored by Guerrero alongside members of the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute.
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