It was alarmingly revealed in a study published in the Journal of Youth Studies that around 20 percent of teenagers are not getting the recommended amount of sleep. Based on the findings, the overuse of social media among teens is one of the major reasons why kids are losing their sleep.
In today's generation, it is not uncommon for teenagers to wake up at night and search for their smartphones while squinting their eyes. Upon waking up, the first thought is to check their messages and notifications on social media. Even though it might not seem much, NDTV noted it has been proven those adolescents are almost thrice as prone to sleepiness and tiredness at school as their peers who do not disrupt their sleep by using phone for social media at night.
One particularly interesting aspect of this study was the fact that girls are more likely to display this behavior. They were found to use social media more than boys generally did at night. Experts also discovered these night-time activities have a direct link to their happiness, level of contentment and well-being, as per I4U News.
The study was conducted on more than 900 students of ages 12-15. After they filled out questionnaires regarding their sleeping habits at night in relation to checking their social media accounts, it was discovered that 1 out of every 5 children reported that they "always" woke up at night and logged into their accounts. It was also further known that girls accessed the internet much more than boys.
Lack of sleep due to social media overuse is not only linked to the children's level of physical stress but also their feelings. Such students recounted being relatively unhappy and dissatisfied as compared to their friends who normally slept throughout the night.
These researches have yet to be corroborated by more statistical evidence as the causes of the students' tiredness can be linked to several factors as well and not just the overuse of social media at night. Do you think social media is affecting children's well-being? Sound off below.
