What parents need to know
If kids are on screens in the evening for homework, melatonin gets pushed back, they’ll be more tired the next day, less emotionally regulated, and more prone to getting triggered. As Huberman says, we’ll look back on this like “the junk food of the 80s and 90s.” Screen homework steals tomorrow’s learning.
Full Citation
Chatterjee, R. & Huberman, A. (2022). Do this in the morning to boost energy, improve sleep and reduce fatigue. Feel Better, Live More Podcast, Episode 2022.
Publication Type
Expert discussion on podcast featuring GP Dr Rangan Chatterjee and neuroscientist Professor Andrew Huberman
What They Studied
Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Professor Andrew Huberman discussed the neuroscience of light exposure, circadian rhythms, and how screen use – particularly evening screen exposure – affects sleep quality, emotional regulation, and next-day cognitive function. They specifically addressed the problem of screen-based homework in the evening.
Key Findings
- Dr Rangan: “If kids have to be on their screens in the evening to do homework that’s going to push back melatonin, they’re going to be more tired the following day, they’re going to be less emotionally regulated, they’re going to be more prone to getting triggered”
- “I think this could be quite a big problem that could be addressed with a very simple dictum which is ‘let’s not give homework to our kids on screens'”
- Evening screen exposure delays the natural release of melatonin, the hormone that signals to the body it’s time to sleep
- This delay means children fall asleep later, get less sleep, and wake up less rested
- Poor sleep directly affects emotional regulation – tired children are more irritable, less patient, and more reactive
- Reduced emotional regulation makes it harder to focus, learn, and behave appropriately in school
- Andrew Huberman: “Improper viewing of light, meaning at the wrong times… we’re going to look back and realise that this is the snack and junk food of the 80s and 90s”
- The comparison to junk food is apt: something we’re currently normalizing that will be recognized as harmful in retrospect
- Screen homework creates a vicious cycle: disrupts sleep, reduces learning capacity, falling behind creates more homework stress
- The solution is simple: assign homework that doesn’t require screens in the evening
- Schools that mandate screen homework are directly undermining students’ ability to learn the next day
