Screens before bedtime: investigating the impact of screen use on sleep health in children

Abstract

The first chapter of this thesis is a Systematic Review which comprehensively reviews the literature on the association between screen use and sleep in autistic children between the ages 0 – 18 years old. The findings are discussed and considerations for future research outlined.

The second chapter of this thesis details an empirical study which aimed to experimentally test whether reducing screen use at bedtime improved the sleep health of six individual children who had difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep. An ABAB single-case experimental design was used to control for participant factors while manipulating screen use in the hour before bedtime. Data were collected over four weeks using parent-report sleep and screen use diaries, and actigraphy. The results and implications are discussed with along with recommendations for future research.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2026.

Date of Award	Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Department Of Health Northern Ireland
Supervisor	David McCormack (Supervisor), Tim Fosker (Supervisor) & Jenny Cross (Supervisor)