Broadband Internet, Digital Temptations, and Sleep

Abstract

There is a growing concern that the widespread use of computers, mobile phones and other digital devices before bedtime disrupts our sleep with detrimental effects on our health and cognitive performance. High-speed Internet promotes the use of electronic devices, video games and Internet addiction (e.g., online games and cyberloafing). Exposure to artificial light from tablets and PCs can alterate individuals' sleep patterns. However, there is little empirical evidence on the causal relationship between technology use near bedtime and sleep. This paper studies the causal effects of access to high-speed Internet on sleep. We first show that playing video games, using PC or smartphones, watching TV or movies are correlated with shorter sleep duration. Second, we exploit historical differences in pre-existing telephone infrastructure that affected the deployment of high-speed Internet across Germany (see Falck et al., 2014) to identify a source of plausibly exogenous variation in access to Broadband. Using this instrumental variable strategy, we find that DSL access reduces sleep duration and sleep satisfaction.

Why Don't We Sleep Enough? A Field Experiment among College Students

“…Interestingly, we show that among those who complied with the treatment, evening screen time (after 8 pm) declined by 48% during the intervention with respect to baseline, and by about 28% after the incentive was removed. We see these results as particularly noteworthy given the growing evidence that digital temptations and the use of blue light technologies near bedtime severely impair sleep (Billari et al, 2017;Nie and Hillygus, 2002;Twenge et al, 2017). Consistent with the evidence that repetition of behavior, such as following fixed routines, increases habit formation (e.g., Wood and Neal, 2007;Lally et al, 2010), adjusting activities before bedtime may help develop better sleep habits.…”

Using an Online Sample to Estimate the Size of an Offline Population

“…The digital divide is important because research has revealed that access to the internet may affect health and wellbeing through a wide range of different mechanisms. For example, scholars have found that increasing internet adoption may lead to job creation (Hjort and Poulsen 2019), improvements in education (Kho et al 2018), increases in international trade (Clarke and Wallsten 2006), increases in social capital (Bauernschuster et al 2014), political mobilization (Manacorda and Tesei 2016), reduced sleep (Billari et al 2018), and changes in fertility (Billari et al 2019). The World Bank devoted its 2016 World Development Report to the 'digital dividends' that may result from increasing access to the internet in the developing world (World Bank 2016).…”

The effect of broadband Internet on the gender gap in mental health: Evidence from Germany

“…(2014) and later replicated by Billari et al. (2018, 2019). The identification relies on idiosyncrasies of the German voice‐telecommunication network, which was built in the 1960s and later used for the supply of broadband Internet.…”

“…Whilst results vary with the context and type of Internet use, there is suggestive evidence that Internet access decreases political participation (Campante et al., 2017; Falck et al., 2014). 9 Looking at health‐related outcomes, Internet access has been found to affect fertility decisions of highly‐educated women (Billari et al., 2019), reduce sleep duration and sleep satisfaction, and increase body weight (Billari et al., 2018; DiNardi et al., 2019), as well as increase the demand for Cesarean‐sections for mothers (Amaral Garcia et al., 2021). 10 Similar to these studies, I exploit physical constraints in the supply of DSL Internet to quantify its causal effect.…”