I sneaked into my son’s room thinking he was asleep and there he was, wide awake, eyes glued to his phone screen. It was almost 3 in the morning! I didn’t know whether to get angry, worried or both. He told me he was just watching videos, but I know that’s not all. Lately, I’ve noticed him more tired, irritable, with less desire to do his activities. I thought it was because of school, but now I understand that maybe he’s been sleeping a lot less than he should. I don’t know how long he’s been doing this, but I definitely have to do something.
Oh wow, same. My 11 year old has been sneaking his tablet under the covers, and I had no idea until I found his YouTube history full of videos watched at crazy hours. I felt like such a fool for not catching on sooner. And the moodiness? 100%. I thought he was just hitting that pre-teen phase, but no, turns out he’s just sleep-deprived. We started locking devices up at night, but oof, the pushback is real. You’re not alone in this at all!
Been there! My 10 year old was also pulling late nights on his iPad, and I only found out because he left it on under his pillow. I felt awful, like how did I miss this?? I was so torn between being mad and being worried. We had a long talk about why sleep is important, but ngl, it took a while for him to actually listen. We ended up setting up a charging station in our room where all devices go at bedtime. It wasn’t easy at first, but now it’s just the rule. Hang in there!
Ohhh man, this is such a tough one. I totally get the struggle of balancing screen time while also trying to respect their independence. It’s like the moment we finally think we’ve got parenting figured out, they throw a new curveball at us. The exhaustion and moodiness really hit different when you realize it’s from lack of sleep. Sending solidarity, this parenting thing is a ride!
you just described my kid last year. I caught him watching Minecraft speedruns at 2 AM like it was his full, time job. When I asked him why he wasn’t asleep, he straight up told me he “wasn’t tired yet.” Uh-huh. Sure. We ended up setting a parental lock on WiFi past bedtime, and omg, you’d think we took away his entire existence. But hey, he actually sleeps now!
This is definitely frustrating, but I promise it can get better! My oldest went through the same phase, and I felt so lost at first. But with a little consistency (and a lot of complaints from him at first), we were able to get him back on track with a set bedtime and no screens an hour before bed. It was rocky for a while, but now he actually gets a good night’s sleep and feels so much better. Your son will get there too!
I totally went through this with my kid, and what finally helped was setting up a nighttime routine. We moved bedtime earlier by 15 min increments over a few weeks, and I made sure he had something calming to do before bed, like reading or listening to an audiobook (on speaker, no screens). Also, blue light from screens messes with sleep, so we got blue light filter glasses for evening screen time. It took patience, but after a while, he started waking up less groggy and actually feeling better. Maybe something like this could help you too!
One trick that worked for us was making sleep hygiene a family thing. We all started winding down at the same time, no screens an hour before bed, dim lights, and some relaxing music in the background. We also started rewarding good sleep habits, like letting him stay up a little later on weekends if he stuck to the routine during the week. He still tries to sneak a peek at his tablet sometimes, but overall, he’s getting way more rest. Maybe making it a whole, family effort could help?
Thank you all so much, this really makes me feel less alone. I talked to him this morning, and he admitted he’s been doing this for a while. He says he just “loses track of time.” I think we’re gonna try the device, free bedroom rule and see how it goes. Not gonna lie, I’m bracing for some major complaints, but I know it’s for the best. Fingers crossed!
Oh, I remember this phase! My teenagers were glued to their devices at night when they were around 10, 12. I wish I had cracked down sooner because it became a habit that was really hard to break later. If I could go back, I’d have set screen limits much earlier, no devices in the bedroom at all. It seems harsh, but trust me, it saves so many battles down the road. They may push back now, but they’ll thank you when they’re not exhausted zombies at school. Stay firm, mama!