Simply having a device in the bedroom predicted worse sleep — even when it was not being used
A meta-analysis of 20 studies and more than 125,000 children
Reviewed by Sian Trombley, CCCFounder, Thrive Family Company
Strong confidence
Source citation
Carter B, Rees P, Hale L, Bhattacharjee D, Paradkar MS. (2016). Association between portable screen-based media device access or use and sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(12), 1202–1208. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2341
Published 1 December 2016 · Added to Thrive 1 December 2016 · Reviewed 26 July 2026
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This is the study behind one of the few household rules with strong evidence behind it.
Published research findings
The study
Researchers pooled 20 studies examining access to and use of portable screen devices at bedtime alongside sleep quantity, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.
What researchers examined
Whether device use, and device access without use, were associated with poorer sleep outcomes.
What they found
Both bedtime use and mere access to a device in the sleep environment were associated with inadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Thrive editorial interpretation
What this may mean for families
Removing the device from the bedroom is a higher-yield change than negotiating minutes of use, because presence alone appears to matter.
What this doesn't tell us
Important limitations
The included studies were largely observational and relied on self- or parent-report, so reverse causation — poor sleepers reaching for phones — cannot be excluded.
Evidence confidence describes how much weight this study's design can carry — not how strongly the finding applies to any individual child or family.
Therapist perspective — Thrive interpretation, not a finding of the study
Therapist Perspective
I ask families to move the charger, not to police the app. It is one decision made once, rather than a nightly argument.
Practical family considerations
Charge devices outside the bedroom; make it the room's rule, not the child's willpower.
This research summary is educational and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.
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