Why screen time before bed is bad for children

Sleep is an essential part of our development and wellbeing. It is important for learning and memory, emotions and behaviours, and our health more generally. Yet the total amount of sleep that children and adolescents are getting is continuing to decrease. Why? Although there are potentially many reasons behind this trend, it is emerging that screen time - by way of watching television or using computers, mobile phones and other electronic mobile devices - may be having a large and negative impact on children's sleep.