Nocturnal life often the norm for young

Interesting insight on how kids behave when they get home from college or high school. From the The Washington Post.

"... When they come home, kids act like they're living in Las Vegas," one mother told me. "They go out at 11 p.m., sometimes wander back home a few hours later and then go out again. The doors are opening and closing all night. They're living vampire hours."

It's not just all-night outings that are robbing kids of routine rest. The Internet may be the biggest source of sleep deprivation for college students. "I've seen girls who became obsessed with instant messaging, and online shopping, and online gambling is really big with boys," one fanatic told me.

The most alarming thing, though, is that many college students bring the habits of nighttime excess with them from home. Mary McCarthy, a guidance counselor, told me that lots of high school kids stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning instant messaging, talking on their cell phones or surfing the Web.

Then, "when they're late for morning classes or just miss them, parents come in giving the excuse that their child has a sleep disorder," she says. "Instead of taking away the cell phone at night or cutting off the Internet, many parents are putting their kids on prescription sleep aids like Ambien."

Many high-school kids cloister themselves in their "wired bedrooms" like animals in a den. They have cable TV, computers, cell phones, video games and every other source of amusement at their fingertips - all of which they think they have a God-given right to. As soon as they get home from school, some retire to their bedrooms to begin the night's amusements, coming out only for dinner.

Related article:

-- SMS causes poor sleep

-- Children text at night instead of sleeping

emily | 5:48 PM | SMS and Students |
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