Managing Screen Time Before Bed in the Summer

When the sun stays out later and bedtime routines get a little looser, screen time can sneak into parts of the evening where it really doesn’t belong—right before bed. And while summer offers a much-needed break from the school-year grind, your child’s brain still needs quality sleep to grow, focus, and recharge.

At Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Associates (CSMA), we often see the effects of excessive evening screen time in children who struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake feeling unrested—even when they seem to be sleeping “enough.”

Let’s take a closer look at how screens affect sleep and how to set healthy boundaries (without a bedtime battle).

Screen Time: How Screens Interfere With Sleep

Phones, tablets, TVs, and gaming devices all emit blue light, which tells the brain to stay alert and delays the release of melatonin—the hormone that signals it’s time to wind down. This light exposure can shift your child’s sleep cycle, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Even 30 minutes of screen use before bed can:

• Delay sleep onset

• Reduce deep, restorative sleep

• Increase nighttime awakenings

• Lead to grogginess or irritability in the morning

  
  

Screen Time: Why It’s Worse in the Summer

Summer often brings later bedtimes, more screen freedom, and less structured routines. Without the built-in guardrails of a school night, kids are more likely to:

• Stay up watching videos or playing games in bed

• Spend hours on screens in the evening

• Shift their internal clocks—sometimes dramatically

This can lead to a tough back-to-school transition, mood swings, and even symptoms that look like attention issues or anxiety.

Tips to Help Set Screen Boundaries (Without a Fight)

You don’t have to go cold turkey. Small, consistent changes make a big difference. Here are some CSMA-approved strategies:

1. Set a Screen Curfew

Turn off screens at least 1 hour before bedtime. Use this time for reading, drawing, puzzles, or relaxing music.

2. Keep Devices Out of the Bedroom

Charging phones and tablets in another room eliminates the temptation to scroll or play games after lights-out.

3. Replace Screen Time with Wind-Down Time

Introduce a calming bedtime routine: bath, book, cuddle, lights out. The consistency helps cue the brain that sleep is coming.

4. Increase Daylight and Physical Activity

The more kids move and get natural sunlight during the day, the easier it is for their bodies to feel sleepy at night.

5. Model Healthy Habits

When parents put their own screens away, it reinforces the message. Try making it a family-wide screen curfew!

Sleep and Brain Health Go Hand in Hand

Sleep is essential for a child's brain and body to rest, recover, and grow. It supports memory consolidation, mood regulation, and the production of hormones critical for brain and body development. During sleep, the body strengthens the immune system, and helps fight off infections, keeping children healthy.

Limiting screen time before bed isn’t just about rules—it’s about protecting your child’s brain development, mood stability, and emotional well-being. Prioritizing sleep sets them up for better behavior, better learning, and better health.

Concerned About Your Child’s Sleep?

If your child still struggles to fall asleep, snores, or wakes up tired despite a solid bedtime routine, it could point to an underlying sleep or breathing issue.

📍The team at CSMA can help. Let’s get to the root of it—so your whole family can sleep easier.

👉 Schedule a pediatric sleep consultation today at csma.clinic.