Screen-Free Sleep campaign launches to address America's youth sleep crisis

In a bold wake-up call to parents everywhere, the team behind the acclaimed Screenagers documentaries and the "Away for the Day" campaign, has launched its latest national initiative: Screen-Free Sleep, a movement to keep kids' bedrooms device-free at night and restore healthy rest to a generation in crisis.

To mark the campaign's debut, New Yorkers were treated to an unexpected sight: an entire flash mob of Steve Jobs lookalikes - black turtlenecks, jeans, and all - took to the streets, handing out "iSleep Pro" kits: sleek, phone-style packaging featuring simple sleep masks as a symbol of unplugged rest.

Billed as a "technological bedtime breakthrough," the iSleep Pro kits unveiled the real game-changer: no devices in kids' bedrooms at night - a practice the campaign is calling the seatbelt of our time. The message was clear: parents must wake up to the growing crisis - with phones and screens invading bedtime, children are sleeping less, struggling more, and paying the price with their health, mood, and academic performance.

Delaney Ruston, Physician, Filmmaker, and Co-founder, Screen-Free Sleep campaign: "Sleep is as essential to a child's health as nutrition and exercise,but right now, screens are robbing our kids of it. Our campaign empowers parents to make bedrooms device-free at night, building habits that last through the teen years. By making screen-free sleep the norm, we can give our children the rest they need to thrive."

The alarming numbers:

1 in 4 tweens sleep with their phone in hand.
Kids with devices in their bedroom are 2.3x more likely to feel tired during the day.
51% of teens get fewer than 7 hours of sleep most nights.

The solution:

Parents are encouraged to take the pledge at ScreenFreeSleep.org to:

Remove all devices - phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming devices, even smart speakers - from kids' bedrooms at night.
Provide a basic alarm clock to replace phone alarms.
Store devices overnight in a secure location (ideally in a parent's bedroom to reduce temptation).

Why it matters:

Research shows that simply having a device in the room, even if it's not in use, disrupts kids' sleep.
Groundbreaking research shows that sleep deprivation in tweens is associated with MRI-verified disruptions in brain development.
A device-free bedroom supports emotional regulation, attention, and school performance.

Parents can sign the pledge, share the campaign with friends, and bring "iSleep Pro" kits to schools, sports events, and community gatherings to help normalize screen-free sleep - just as seat belts became standard safety practice.

www.screenfreesleep.org

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