Article Commentary: Adolescent Sleep and Cellular Phone Use: Recent Trends and Implications for Research

Abstract

Adolescent sleep needs range from 8.5–10 hours per night, with older adolescents requiring less sleep than younger adolescents. On average, however, American adolescents receive between 7.5–8.5 hours of sleep per night, with many sleeping fewer than 6.5 hours on school nights. Cellular phone use is emerging as an important factor that interferes with both sleep quality and quantity, particularly as smartphones become more widely available to teens. This review paper has three objectives. First, we will describe adolescent sleep patterns and the effects of sleep deprivation on adolescent physical and mental health. Second, we will describe current trends in technology use among adolescents, making associations to how technology impacts sleep. Lastly, we will discuss some of the methodological barriers of conducting sleep and technology research with adolescents and young adults and offer suggestions for overcoming those barriers. We will also discuss implications for healthcare providers.

Effect of automated messaging on oral hygiene in adolescent orthodontic patients: A randomized controlled trial

“…Text messaging might be expected to improve compliance of teenagers, who remain connected to mobile media at various locations and at all times. 9 A total of 88% of teens have access to cellular phones and 91% of those use text messages on a daily basis. 19 The average adolescent sends 100 texts per day; 9,19 the average duration of smartphone usage is 4.65 hours per day.…”

“…5 Compliance is particularly important for teenagers, who are the patients most commonly treated in orthodontics. 4 Text messaging, which has become the primary mode of communication for adolescents, 9 provides a means of increasing compliance. Bowen et al followed patients for 2 months and found that automated weekly text reminders were effective in improving oral hygiene.…”

Bedtime Autonomy and Cellphone Use Influence Sleep Duration in Adolescents

“…Adolescent consumption of technology, particularly smartphones, has dramatically increased over the past decade [16,24]. In comparison to other age groups, adolescents spend greater amounts of time using technology [25], which is arousing and delays nighttime sleep onset [4][5][26][27].…”

Say “GDNT”: frequency of adolescent texting at night

“…Several recent studies have examined nighttime media use, broadly defined (which may include television “screen time” as well as screen time from other types of technology, including cell phones), and adolescent sleep(1, 7, 9-11). For instance, Hale and Guan (7) found that among the 67 studies identified in a review of the literature on screen time and sleep among children and adolescents, 90% showed a significant inverse association between screen time and sleep duration.…”

“…Importantly, research suggests that trends in the types of technology being used by adolescents are changing at a rapid rate, with increasing “screen time” related to mobile device use(9). In particular, the use of “texting” as a means of communication has risen dramatically among teens.…”