Journal: Child Development

After a longterm study of 1,100 students, researchers noted that both nighttime mobile phone use and poor sleep behavior had positive linear growth.

In other words, increased nighttime cell phone use was directly associated with increased externalizing behavior, leading to decreased self-esteem and coping.

A phone in bed is the ultimate distraction from a restful mind, and pinpointing one variable (light, emotional responses to images, or even time spent not sleeping) is nearly impossible. However, there’s clearly an association between late night phone usage and negative mental health outcomes. Just put it away.

Takeaway: There’s plenty of time in the day to use your phone in ways that won’t affect your sleep or mental health. Using it before, or in, bed has a negative affect on your sleep patterns, mental health, and subjective well-being.