What it’s for
- Reducing bedtime device use
- A calmer transition to sleep
A curfew changes light exposure, content and time spent awake. A screen filter changes only part of that exposure.
Setting aside screens for a period before bed to make room for winding down.
Purpose, evidence and practical considerations.
A curfew changes light exposure, content and time spent awake. A screen filter changes only part of that exposure.
A small randomized pilot found improvements after restricting bedtime phone use. Larger studies are needed to establish the best duration and how well results generalize.
Confidence: moderate
This is low risk, but strict rules can create anxiety or conflict. Essential communication, accessibility and safety needs should take priority. Persistent insomnia should not be assumed to result from screens alone.
Stopping phones, tablets, computers and television before bed can reduce short-wavelength light exposure, stimulating content and time displacement. Those pathways are distinct, so dimming a screen does not fully reproduce a curfew.
The evidence on this page does not automatically apply to:
How people use it, with their schedules, context and original sources.
60 min · nightly · before bed
He puts screens away for an hour before bed.
Reviewed session and timing context, separate from what public protocols report.
Session and schedule patterns reported in public protocols; these are observations, not instructions. Private and hidden usage is excluded.
These share a protocol with this intervention. This does not establish that they work together or are suitable alternatives.