Go to bed on time; do not stay up for games, short videos, or porn

In 2025 Chinese people averaged 6.97 hours of night sleep and fell asleep at 0:10 on average. Among children and teens, those who used a phone or tablet before bed were more than twice as likely to get too little sleep, and 2.7 times as likely to be sleepy by day. Just having the device in the bedroom unused gave similar numbers. So the easiest move is not bringing the phone into the bedroom.

Cost

No money. The hard part is fighting the “one more episode” habit long-term. Keeping the phone out of the bedroom takes the least effort.

Benefit

In 2025 China’s residents averaged 6.97 hours of nighttime sleep, with average sleep onset at 0:10 (Chinese Sleep Research Society). People who used portable devices before bed were about 2.17 times as likely to get insufficient sleep (OR 2.17), about 1.46 times as likely to have poor sleep quality (OR 1.46), and about 2.72 times as likely to be sleepy by day (OR 2.72). Devices only left in the bedroom and not used gave similar numbers, about 1.79, 1.53, and 2.27 times (OR 1.79/1.53/2.27). That part pooled 20 same-time surveys of 125198 children and adolescents. Another same-time survey had 844 adults aged 18 to 94. Those who still used a phone after lights out fell asleep more slowly, spent a lower share of time in bed actually asleep, and were more fatigued by day.

Notes

Contested. The cost of staying up late itself is in item 3 of this section (7 to 8 hours a night). What porn does to an ordinary person’s energy and cognition has no reliable evidence that it is the cause. One analysis pooling several studies held that so-called “porn problems” more often come from a mismatch between a person’s beliefs and their own behavior, not from the content itself. Another study pooled data from 280 men. Viewing time was unrelated to erectile function during sex with a partner. Here the only issue is sleep time it crowds out. The figures 6.97 hours and 0:10 have no press release on the Chinese Sleep Research Society site (checked September 2026). This entry follows a Health News report republished by the Fujian Provincial Health Commission.

Sources · 4

1. Carter et al. (2016). Association Between Portable Screen-Based Media Device Access or Use and Sleep Outcomes. JAMA Pediatrics. doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2341
2. Exelmans & Van den Bulck (2016). Bedtime mobile phone use and sleep in adults. Social Science & Medicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.037
3. 中国睡眠研究会 (2026). 2026 中国睡眠健康研究白皮书（福建省卫健委转载健康报报道）. wjw.fujian.gov.cn/jggk/csxx/xcc/mtbd/202603/t…
4. Grubbs JB 等 (2018). Pornography Problems Due to Moral Incongruence: An Integrative Model with a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1248-x（备注里的争议方之一）；Prause N, Pfaus J (2015). Viewing Sexual Stimuli Associated with Greater Sexual Responsiveness, Not Erectile Dysfunction. Sexual Medicine. doi.org/10.1002/sm2.58（备注里的争议方之二）