The Case for Letting Teenagers Sleep In
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Sleepy Head: The kids are not OK. A CDC report published in 2024 found that 40% of teens report persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness — an increase from a decade ago. Writers like Jonathan Haidt argue that social media use is the real culprit for worsening mental health, calling for drastic limits on screen time for kids under 16. But a new study suggests there may be another, complementary lever worth pulling: letting teenagers sleep in.
The Study: Researchers analyzed data from the CDC’s 2021–23 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included self-reported bedtimes, wake times, and emotional states. Teens and young adults ages 16 to 24 who caught up on sleep on the weekends had a 41% lower risk of depressive symptoms than their counterparts who didn’t sleep in.
The Takeaway: You might want your kid to get up and at ’em on weekend mornings, but allowing them to catch a few extra hours of sleep could come with real mental health benefits. Teens are supposed to get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Between homework, jobs, extracurriculars — and yes, screens — that’s often unrealistic. Add in the fact that adolescent circadian rhythms naturally push teens toward later bedtimes, and chronic sleep debt becomes almost inevitable.
