Screen time and sleep in autistic children and adolescents

Poster Session D - Monday, March 31, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

C. Paula Lewis-de los Angeles^1,2, William Lewis-de los Angeles^1,2,4, Jared M. Saletin^1,3, Noah S. Philip¹, Petya D. Radoeva^1,4; ¹Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, ²Hasbro Children's Hospital, ³Sleep Research Laboratory, Emma Pendelton Bradley Hospital, ⁴Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital

Sleep disturbances are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies have shown that poor sleep in autistic youth is associated with daytime behavioral dysregulation. Here, we hypothesized that greater screen time would be associated with lower sleep duration in autistic youth. Participants with a parent-reported diagnosis of ASD (n=201, 86% M, average age 12.2 years) were identified from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a longitudinal study of adolescent development. Screen time by youth report, sleep duration by accelerometer (Fitbit), and age at first cell phone by parent report, were examined using linear regressions adjusting for age and sex. Each hour less of weekday screentime was associated with 4.4 minutes longer sleep nightly (n=96, 95% CI: 0.6-8.2, p=0.02). Likewise, each hour less of weekend screentime was associated with 2.6 minutes longer sleep nightly (n=96, 95% CI: 0.2-4.9, p=0.03). Compared to children who received their first cell phone at or before 9 years, youth who received a first cell phone at age 10 had 52 more minutes of sleep (n = 45, 95% CI: 4.2 to 100.2; p=0.03) and those who received a phone at ages 11 or 12 years had 81 more minutes of sleep (n = 45, 95% CI: 40.8-121.8; p<0.001). In this study, earlier initiation of phone use and more screen time was associated with less sleep in autistic youth. Characterizing relationships between screen time and sleep in autistic youth may help understand how screen time affects neurodevelopment in autistic youth during critical periods of development.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Development & aging