Mobile gadgets divert teens' attention from bad thoughts before sleep: Research

tech.hindustantimes.com:

According to new Flinders University research, overuse of mobile devices has a bad rap, but one advantage may be their capacity to provide a distraction and improve teens' ability to sleep.

Feedback from more than 600 teenagers from age 12 to 18 at South Australian schools between June and September 2019 has led the international research group to point to a more nuanced view on using the wide range of mobile content -- led by Youtube, music apps, Instagram and Snapchat -- before young people's bedtime.

"Many teenagers struggle with a racing mind when sleep doesn't come easy," said lead corresponding author Dr Serena Bauducco, a visiting postdoctoral researcher from Orebro University, Sweden.

"This study shows that many adolescents use technology to distract themselves from negative thoughts, which may help them manage the sleep-onset process. Thus, distraction may be one mechanism explaining how sleep affects technology use, rather than vice-versa," the study concludes.

The majority of 631 adolescents surveyed used technology as a distraction from negative or distressing thoughts, with 23.6% answering "yes" and 38.4% "sometimes," according to the study published in the journal Sleep Advances (Oxford Academic).

However, the study did reveal a higher tendency of app use among the young people with existing sleep problems compared to those not reporting a sleep problem, leading researchers to caution that other solutions are needed to help teenagers to fall asleep.

Passive entertainment, via music apps or Youtube video clips, or interacting with peers via Instagram or Snapchat were considered the most popular distractions.

First author of the study, Flinders University psychology graduate Ms Alexandra Daniels, says the complex