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Ever caught your child using their phones in bed after you’ve switched off the lights? We understand that staying in touch with their friends is important but staying up all night to text just won’t cut it. By spending their nights on their phones instead of sleeping, it could affect their health, grades and social life [1]. It might be time for you to help your child manage their device usage at night and ensure that it doesn’t interfere with their sleep.

Why you shouldn’t use your phone before bedtime.

Almost all of our devices emit a large amount of blue light, a type of light in the blue segment of the color spectrum that mimics daylight. By using your devices at night, you are tricking your body into thinking that it is day time and it keeps you awake. The exposure to blue light thus disrupts your internal body clock and rhythm.

Additionally, checking your phone stimulates your brain to keep you awake and active, hence prolonging your sleep. In this digital era, we feel the need to always be connected and available, giving rise to our compulsion to check our social feeds, emails, or any notifications that pop up almost immediately. Your mind can stay engaged long after you’ve put down your phone [2], making it much harder to fall asleep.

For children, this could result in being less attentive in the day as they may be tired and agitated from the lack of sleep. This could in turn affect their performance in school and their relationships with family and friends. So how can you ensure that your child is getting enough rest? We have some tips for you to try out.

4 ways to encourage a no-device pre-bedtime routine with your child
1. Set a schedule

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you should put away your phone at least 30 minutes before bedtime [3]. You can easily limit your child’s device usage before bedtime by downloading the planoApp a parental control app for android, iPhone and iPad. Set a daily schedule on your child’s device and you no longer have to constantly check on them after the lights are off.

2. Read a book together

Hop into bed and read a book together. This helps your child to be distracted from their devices and not reach out for it right before bedtime. Establishing a good bedtime routine with relaxing activities, instead of devices that stimulate the brain to be active, can help your child fall asleep faster and ensure they get an ample amount of sleep.

3. Low Light Detection

The plano app is designed to be able to detect when your child is using their phones in the dark or in dim lighting. It will prompt your child to find better lighting or they will not be able to continue using it. This can encourage your child to put away their devices when the lights are out and go to sleep instead.

4. Limit your Wi-Fi

Most routers have parental control features that allow you to schedule the Wi-Fi access time limits. By switching off the Wi-Fi at night, it would discourage your child from using their phones and browsing the internet. With limited accessible functions on their phones, they would soon be bored of it and decide to go to sleep.

Start by explaining to your little ones the ramifications of using their devices before bedtime and encourage them to put their devices away and head to bed. You can always turn to parental control apps like plano to make it easier for you to get your child to bed. Try these tips and discover how much sleep can improve your child’s day!

References
[1] Preston, E. (2016, March 14). How to keep your kids away from their phones at night. TrackMyFone. https://www.trackmyfone.com/blog/how-to-keep-your-kids-away-from-their-phones-at-night/
[2] Cleveland Clinic. (2019, April 22). Put the Phone Away! 3 Reasons Why Looking at It Before Bed Is a Bad Habit. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/put-the-phone-away-3-reasons-why-looking-at-it-before-bed-is-a-bad-habit/
[3] SCL Health. (n.d.). Why It’s Time to Ditch the Phone Before Bed. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/09/why-it-is-time-to-ditch-the-phone-before-bed/#:%7E:text=Stop%20using%20electronic%20devices%2030,least%2030%20minutes%20before%20bedtime.