NCT05956392 Personalising Children's Screen Use Reduction for Better Sleep, Mental, and Brain Health
| NCT ID | NCT05956392 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | National University of Singapore |
| Condition | Screen-use Reduction + Sleep Extension |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 150 participants |
| Start Date | 2023-07-03 |
| Primary Completion | 2027-12-31 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
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What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 150 participants in total. It began in 2023-07-03 with a primary completion date of 2027-12-31.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
In Singapore, 64.4% of school-age children sleep less than the minimum recommended duration of 9 hours on school nights, thus risking poor mental, cognitive, and brain health. These short-sleeping children, however, spend on average 2.5 hours per school day on non-academic media use, revealing the potential of reducing their screen time for more sleep. Previous interventions targeted at reducing media use and/or improving sleep among school-age children, though effective in increasing sleep, required cooperation from schools, extensive personnel training, and high commitment of participants, rendering them difficult to implement in Singapore. Existing interventions also focused on evening or pre-bedtime screen use, and took a one-size-fits-all approach, ignoring individual differences in the duration, type, and purpose of media use throughout the day. Here, we propose a scalable approach to curtail media use based on individual need throughout the day. We will conduct a randomised controlled trial during term time, recruiting 150 children, aged 6-12 years, who on school days, sleep less than 8 hours and spend more than 2 hours on media use. At baseline, all participants will record their time use patterns. The research staff will then help the intervention group to repurpose at least 60 minutes of media use per school day for sleep. Importantly, participants can decide the type, timing and duration of media use to curtail, thus giving them a sense of agency and mastery, while boosting their self-efficacy, a vital ingredient in behavioural change. The intervention group will follow this personalised schedule for 2 weeks, while the control group will be in a free-living condition. Two weeks after the intervention has ended, the intervention group will undergo follow-up assessments. Throughout the study, sleep, time use, cognitive functions, and psychological well-being will be assessed daily. Other cognitive tasks and questionnaires will be conducted during 2-3 lab/school-classroom visits, with one-third of the participants also undergoing high-density electroencephalography to measure brain activity.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Is a Singaporean or Permanent Resident * Speaks English * Aged between 6-12 years old * Habitually sleeps less than 8 hours during school nights * Habitually spends more than 2 hours on media use (i.e. social media, gaming, and TV / videos) on school days * Is not on any long-term medications * Has no known medical or developmental conditions that could affect sleep (e.g. asthma, arthritis, cancer, congenital heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, eczema, inflammation) * Has no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders Exclusion Criteria: \-
Contact & Investigator
June Lo, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
National University of Singapore
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT05956392 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 6 Years or older, up to 12 Years, studying Screen-use Reduction + Sleep Extension. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT05956392 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT05956392 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at mdclocy@nus.edu.sg for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT05956392 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Singapore, Singapore.
Who is sponsoring the NCT05956392 clinical trial?
NCT05956392 is sponsored by National University of Singapore. The principal investigator is June Lo, PhD at National University of Singapore. The trial plans to enroll 150 participants.