The impact of online peer interactions on adolescents' sleep: A multimethod approach

The overall aim of this project is to understand whether technology use explains the rise in adolescents' sleep problems that has occurred over the last decades and to investigate the unique role of peer networking online.

The project combines three different methods, 1) a longitudinal study of sleep behaviors within peer networks; 2) a new experiment to investigate whether and how adolescents’ online social networking leads to sleep loss; and 3) focus groups with adolescents to explore their own experience of how online peer interactions affect their sleep. The experiment will be conducted at Flinders University (Australia) in collaboration with prof. Michael Gradisar.

This project has the potential to significantly contribute to our understanding of the impact of technology use on sleep and thus to radically improve interventions to promote adolescents’ sleep health by involving the peer group.

Publications

Bauducco, S. , Boersma, K. & Gradisar, M. (2024). Sleepy and popular? The association between popularity, sleep duration, and insomnia in adolescents. Frontiers in Sleep, section Pediatric and Adolescent Sleep.

Daniels, A. , Pillion, M. , Rullo, B. , Mikulcic, J. , Whittall, H. , Bartel, K. , Kahn, M. , Gradisar, M. & et al. (2023). Technology use as a sleep-onset aid: Are adolescents using apps to distract themselves from negative thoughts?. SLEEP Advances, 4 (1).

Bauducco, S. , Pillion, M. , Bartel, K. , Reynolds, C. , Kahn, M. & Gradisar, M. (2024). A Bidirectional Model of Sleep and Technology Use: A Theoretical Review of How much, For whom, And which mechanisms. Sleep Medicine Reviews.