A new study (yes, ANOTHER one), shows that middle school and high school teens whose parents let them stay up past midnight during the week are 42% more likely to be depressed than teens whose parents enforce a 10pm or earlier bedtime, and 30% more likely to have had suicidal thoughts within the past year. Columbia University researchers found depression rates of 25% and 20% for teens that stay up past midnight and those that are in bed by 10pm, respectively. The findings are based on surveys conducted from 1994 to 1996, and it is thought that the rates of depression and suicidal thoughts are even greater today among teens who stay up late, largely due to a plugged-in, 3G lifestyle.
The article goes on to emphasize the importance of getting enough sleep, but frankly I think this entire study is missing the point. This study is not about teens who go to bed early versus those that are night owls, it’s about parents setting ground rules for their kids. Parents who set no curfew for their kids probably don’t set a ton of other rules, either. Teens complain that rules suck, but at the very least they indicate that the parents are involved and care about them. Parents who fail to set rules may be seen by teens as parents who don’t care and aren’t concerned about their safety and health, and if teens make such an interpretation, it’s no wonder they’re more depressed.
-
-
8
- Filed under: bedtime, depression
