To ask if IPhones are stopping teenagers from getting enough sleep.

[dreamyspires]

I only ask because my DD has told my dgs that she’s taking it off him at 10pm on a school night because he can’t be trusted to switch it off. Consequently he’s tired every morning. It’s now all kicking off with him saying he will switch it off....She’s sick of the dramas in the morning, with him being tired. Anyone else get this with bloody iPhones. He’s 15 btw.

He’s been chatting to friends on it when he’s in bed.

The iPhone isn't at fault here. His Mum just needs to remove it if she can't trust him with it.

My 15 year olds aren't allowed their phones past 6pm so sleep not an issue.

Its the USE of the iPhone.

Phones handed in and put away somewhere safe by an adult overnight, it’s the only way.

Surely this is true of any smart phone? Why is just one brand getting the blame?

Absolutely take the phone off him. I'd do so at 9pm to be honest, give him an hour to unwind without the screen.

Its the USE of the iPhone.

I get that, and you don't need to capitalise it because it's pretty obvious. I also stand by the fact that if you remove the item from the teen, the item stops being able to keep them awake.

I have a teen. I pick my battles with him and, so far, he doesn't seem too much of a knob. But if he was awake chatting to mates then miserable and combative the next morning, I'd just remove the phone at a suitable time and see if it helped.

Not quite sure what the AIBU is. But definitely agree it is good practice to remove a phone from a teenager at night. But I also believe adults should not have their phone at night. However teenagers are.often less able to self regulate. Having a mobile in the room even if not used can disturb sleep.

Phones or any tech aren't making kids do anything. They're inanimate objects. They're tools. A lot of people let their kids use them without proper instructions and safety rules.

If HE can't be trusted then his mum is right to take the phone away from him. He can swear up and down he won't use it anymore, but unless he uses it as an alarm for the mornings why would he need it overnight anyways?

Surely this is true of any smart phone? Why is just one brand getting the blame?

Yes you’re right, I should have said smart phone, I never thought, probably because he has an iPhone.

No because my Dd's goes on charge by my bed when she goes to bed each night and she doesn't have it again until she's up, showered and dressed the next morning.

I said it she's ago he shouldn't have it. There's so much going on with teens now, it's like they have to stay in constant touch.

Fudge I didn't capitalise to be rude, it was instead of italics.

Phones can disrupt sleep which is why parents should step up and put boundaries in place.

It's not an iPhone-specific thing, but well done on using a tried and true clickbait technique. Reference Apple and your clicks double or better, it's like magic.

But really it's not really even a tech thing, it's a parenting thing and also a biological problem. Teenagers stay up late (and we did before phones, yes, back to ancient greek times) as a physiological norm, and want to sleep late but they can't because school. Teenagers are generally chronically short of sleep. Taking phones (etc) away from them won't get them to sleep earlier either - they'll read, fanny about, masturbate furiously, go out, watch telly, play games until the small hours no matter what.

Absolutely and really the boundaries and good habits should have started before he reached 15. No wonder he is kicking off if he is used to having free reign up to now.

The blue light from backlit screens is also bad for sleep: it interferes with the production of melatonin, so sleep may be delayed after using screens late at night.
All in all phones are best switched off a couple of hours before bed.

Smart phones are stopping people from getting enough sleep. Including adults and teenagers. I speak as one who knows

It's not an iPhone-specific thing, but well done on using a tried and true clickbait technique. Reference Apple and your clicks double or better, it's like magic.

I haven’t a clue what you mean, I’ve never heard of such things, are you saying the mention of iPhones makes people rush to the keyboard? Hmm I don’t think it has. I mentioned iPhone because, erm that’s what I was talking about, but thanks for your input.

It definitely effects sleep yes. Even I find myself staying up later than I should because I don’t want to put my phone down, and I’m an adult! At 15 he is still at an age where his mum has every right to confiscate the phone at bedtime.

No phones or devices allowed in bedrooms in our house. No screens at all inc phones for an hour before bedtime.

DD is 17y and had an iPhone since being 11y. She loves her bed/sleep and it doesn't stop her from getting enough sleep at all.

When she was younger she wasn't allowed to have her phone in her room at all at night time after about 8/9pm (bedtime depending on age). Now she is older she does plug her phone in on her room but she either turns it off or it is on silent. Its plugged in at the other side of the room and she really isn't bothered about checking it in the night. Hopefully the guidelines we put in place when she was younger have helped her to maintain a healthier relationship with her phone use.

To be honest, I didn’t have a mobile phone at that age but it didn’t stop me from finding excuses to not go to sleep. I always messed around and never wanted to go to sleep early and was then shattered in the morning.

My energy would just peak in the afternoon and evening. This changed in adulthood.

I think that free reign with a smartphone at night will lead to less sleep. Yes teenagers want stay up late but having a phone in the bedroom is different to a book or other things they may be tempted to stay up late using.

Constant messages from friends and being able to be contacted by school friends 24/7 isn’t a good thing. Say they’re falling asleep and a message pings on the phone, I doubt a teenager is going to ignore that, it’s so easy to be tempted to use the phone incomparison to other objects. Having a smartphone in the bedroom can be a constant disturbance and for a teenager. It’s easy for anyone to lose track of time watching silly videos, reading the internet and messaging friends. But a 15 year old won’t think about this and won’t set themselves boundaries with a phone, that’s for the parent to do.

I agree, it’s not just teenagers affected. IMO, the best thing a parent can do is model appropriate behaviour with their own phones. If a parent is glued to their own phone how can they complain when their child does the same? I don’t drive and so often on buses I see a child trying to talk to their parent, but the parent is glued to their phone. I find it really sad. My DC are adults now but we always had unwritten rules about how and when phones could be used. Modelling behaviour always works better than enforcing rules.