Sleep habits and electronic device use in primary school children

Introduction and Objectives: Excessive screen use by children may compromise sleep quality, school performance, and overall health. This study aims to explore parents’ and primary caregivers’ perceptions regarding the sleep habits of school-aged children (six to ten years old), as well as to identify the electronic devices they use and their screen exposure. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive-correlational, and cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample of 365 parents or primary caregivers of children attending primary school in a municipality in inland Portugal. A sociodemographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on the use of technologies, and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire were administered, the latter having been validated for the Portuguese population. Results: On average, children went to bed at 9:33 p.m. on weekdays and at 9:41 p.m. on weekends. The presence of electronic devices in the home was high, with computers, mobile phones, tablets, televisions, and gaming consoles being the most common. During the week, 45.5% of children used screens for less than one hour per day, while on weekends, 38.1% used them for one to two hours per day. Children with higher screen use during the week exhibited greater sleep-related anxiety (p = 0.023). On weekends, screen use exceeding three hours was significantly associated with several sleep disturbances, including anxiety (p = 0.006), daytime sleepiness (p = 0.020), and nighttime awakenings (p = 0.020). Discussion: Prolonged screen time is associated with changes in sleep patterns and quality in school-age children, which reinforces the need for educational strategies aimed at families. Excessive screen use is linked to poorer sleep quality.