Media Use and Sleep.
Media use can include broadcast media such as television and movies, as well as interactive media such as social media and online games. Further, media use via portable devices such as smartphones and tablets has made media use available 24 hours a day and at most any location. One area of health concern with children's media use is its effect on sleep. Concerns about media use and sleep include that using media at or near bedtime can lead to fewer hours of sleep and poorer quality of sleep. Concerns have also been raised about media use leading to daytime sleepiness, which could affect children's school performance and other physical health issues. Sleeping the recommended hours on a regular basis is necessary and associated with better health outcomes including improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and mental and physical health. Children 6 to 12 years of age should get 9 to 12 hours of sleep and teens 13 to 18 years of age should get 8 to 10 hours each night. More information about number of hours of recommended sleep for children and adolescents is available from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (http:/www.aasmnet.org /Resources/pdf/Pediatricsleepdurationconsensus.pdf) This issue of JAMA Pediatrics includes a study of the relationship between media use and sleep outcomes. This meta analysis study allows an independent group of investigators to review and summarize findings from previous studies, leading to an evidencebased summary of the state of the science on a given topic. This meta analysis included 20 previous studies from around the globe; in total, the studies included 125 198 children. The analysis found the following evidence regarding the relationship between media use and sleep:
JAMA pediatrics