Sleep, a fragile pillar of the mental health of teenagers (and others), is the first victim of the phone secretly turned on under the duvet. Late sleep, broken nights, difficult waking up: the negative impacts of screens on the quality of our sleep are known and their consequences widely documented, as summarized in The Atlantic.
But sleeping poorly is also an open door to anxiety, depression and risky behavior. According to psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Lisa Damour, if we had to adopt only one rule, it would be to prohibit all use of screens in the bedroom. Its interest would go beyond its impact on our sleep: not only does it limit the compulsive behaviors common when we navigate alone in the dark, but above all, it reminds young people that their digital life is a public space.
From private to connected public
If the use of screens is in the common areas of the house, we can also establish a form of discreet transparency likely to encourage family discussions. This could also create an atmosphere allowing you to share moments of complicity and learn more about your children. “Watching a TikTok together or talking about the latest trends creates a bond”explains Lisa Damour.
But be careful, for the rule to hold, it is advisable that parents also respect it. Psychologists point out that adults are almost always the best source of example for their children. We must therefore think about providing alternatives, such as a classic alarm clock or a radio so that everyone has this functionality. At night, all the family’s phones can be charged and brought together in the same room.
Exceptions can obviously come later, if maturity and a sense of responsibility are there. Taking an isolated call from a close friend is also not strange in a family climate where you trust your child and vice versa.
Ultimately, this is not just a technological rule; it is a big open invitation to redraw the boundary between intimate space and connected space. What if, in a few years, today’s teenagers thanked their parents for giving them back their nights?
