Screen Time Before Bed Not That Bad For Children, Study Shows

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There have been plenty of studies which show the blue light from your screen can affect your sleep and keep you up. But most of those studies have focused on adults.

A new report says screen time before bed may not be that bad for younger ones after all.

When putting children to bed, every parent has their ritual.

And though most people believe screen time before sleep may be bad for kids, a surprising new study by the University of Oxford published in the Journal of Pediatrics shows that may not be the case.

"I don't agree with that at all," one parent said. "I think it does affect them up definitely."

The study surveyed parents of more than 50,000 children ages six months to 18 years old, and found that one hour of watching 'Dora the Explorer' or playing Fortnite led to three to eight fewer minutes of sleep a night.

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Marc Johnson is the clinical director at Drexel's Sleep Disorder Center and he says this field of research simply needs more study since even a few minutes a night of lost sleep add up.

"Is it cumulative?" Johnson asked. "Does that sleep debt -- does that add up to other problems?"

He also points out adults should avoid screen time before bed. And though this study indicates some time on the phone -- watching a movie or surfing the web on the iPad -- may be okay for kids, try convincing parents to change their beliefs.

"Once it's time to shut it down, we're shutting it down," one parent said.