from the Journal of Child Neurology
Texting is widespread in our society and
especially among teens. One source
found children between eight and
eighteen use electronic devices
approximately seven and one-half hours
a day. Rutgers University professor Xue
Ming focused on use of texting by teens
at night, sleep-related problems and
school performance, surveying more
than fifteen hundred high school
students. Her report in the Journal of
Child Neurology found that students who
turned off their devices or messaged for
less than thirty minutes after lights out
performed significantly better in school
than those who messaged for more than
thirty minutes. It follows that students
who texted longer in the dark also slept
fewer hours and were sleepier during
their school day. Professor Ming says
texting in the early evening does not
have the same negative effect.