Association Between Sleep Quality, Sleep Duration With Screen Time Among School Going Children in The Age Group Of 6-14 Years – Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development of children. Increasing exposure to digital devices has raised concerns regarding its potential effects on sleep duration and sleep quality. This study aimed to assess the association between sleep quality, sleep duration, and screen time among school-going children aged 6–14 years.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 school-going children aged 6–14 t the Department of Paediatrics, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, between January 2024 and June 2025. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, screen-use patterns, and sleep-related outcomes. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: Screen-use characteristics were significantly associated with several sleep-related outcomes. Longer pre-sleep screen exposure was associated with shorter sleep duration (χ² = 149.264, p < 0.001) and poorer sleep quality (χ² = 125.713, p < 0.001). Daily screen time was significantly associated with sleep quality (χ² = 128.136, p < 0.001) and sleep-onset latency (χ² = 120.851, p < 0.001). Device type was also significantly associated with sleep quality (χ² = 41.748, p < 0.001) and sleep duration (χ² = 21.347, p = 0.002). However, the reported daytime dysfunction results require verification before their direction can be interpreted.
Conclusion: Screen-use patterns were significantly associated with sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleep-onset latency among the children studied. These findings highlight the importance of examining children's screen-use habits, particularly before bedtime. As the study used a cross-sectional design, the findings indicate associations rather than causal relationships.