Electronic Media Use and Sleep Disorders among Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background. One of the negative impacts of electronic media use is the occurrence of sleep disturbances. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of electronic media in families, including in adolescents, has been increasing. Objective. This study was aimed at describing the association between electronic media use and sleep disturbances in adolescents in Palembang. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in January to February 2021. Participants were 14–17-year-old high school students who completed a questionnaire to assess electronic media use and a Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) questionnaire to assess sleep disturbances. Results. One hundred and fifty-seven participants enrolled in this study. The majority of the participants were 16 years old or older (56.7%) and used smartphones (93%) with a median of media use of 10 hours a day. None of the participants’ characteristic variables showed statistically significant correlations. Similarly, none of the electronic media use variables showed statistically significant correlations. Conclusion. Most of adolescents in this study have used electronic media for more than 6 years, with median use of 10 hours per day, for noneducative purposes. Despite findings that most of them experience sleep disturbances, there was no statistically significant association between electronic media use and sleep disturbances in adolescents.