So much for Generation ZZZs.
Teens are getting less sleep than ever — and it’s becoming a crisis. The downsides of poor sleep are well-documented, especially for teenagers, who are at risk for depression, anxiety, impaired brain function and multiple sclerosis later in life.
And while phones are often the main reason for snooze issues in teens, new research reports that they aren’t the only culprit.
Between early-morning school starts and late-night screen use, teens have consistently gotten less than the recommended eight to 10 hours.
A new study, published Monday in JAMA, has not only found a dramatic rise in teens getting less than five hours of sleep each night, but also identified a range of societal factors as likely causes.
“The big headline here is really that there is a teen sleep crisis and it has gotten worse,” Dr. Courtney Bancroft, clinical director of digital behavioral health at Northwell Health, told The Post. “It has become a severe public health emergency.”
Researchers tracked 16 years of data and found the percentage of students getting insufficient sleep rose from 69% in 2007 to nearly 77% in 2023.
“It’s not a problem that appeared overnight,” Bancroft said. “And the data represents this slow-motion crisis that just has been building and building for nearly two decades.”
Poor sleep nearly equally affected all teens across the board, including those who didn’t engage in risky behaviors like substance use.
However, the increase in insufficient sleep was significantly larger among non-Hispanic black students compared to non-Hispanic white students.
This lack of sleep is contributing to the teen mental health crisis, causing anxiety, depression, mood disorders and suicidality, according to Bancroft.
While phone time is usually to blame, the research found that teens who used their phones or tablets less than four hours a day also had poor sleep quality.
Bancroft said everyday factors can contribute to limited sleep beyond how often kids are looking at screens, including long school days, extracurricular activities and busy social lives.
There’s also a biological factor at play.
“The circadian sleep shift for adolescents is where their brain just starts to have a different circadian rhythm than when they were young,” she said. “And so, they don’t start producing melatonin until around 11 p.m., meaning they really don’t get sleepy until that time.”
While limiting phone use and screen time before bedtime can certainly help, Bancroft says it’s imperative to work with teens’ biology to navigate early school start times.
“This is all about the biological necessity of a teenager and the mismatch of societal norms,” she explained. “Even the American Academy of Pediatrics for years has recommended that middle school and high school start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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