It's quite literally (at least digitally) a whole new ball game out there. When I was in high school, we had just started playing with Internet, cell phones had just reduced in size from a full brick to about a 1⁄2 of a brick, and cable TV was the hottest thing since sliced bread. Nowadays youth culture marinates in electronics, social media networks, and fast-moving communication channels. The old joke about walking and chewing gum at the same time has met its modern rival with people multitasking like never before. Try driving, text-messaging, eating, and talking to live passengers all at the same time. Or walking, texting, talking, and chewing gum. Old folks (those over the age of about 45) just don't understand it. But ask anyone under the age of 30 how it's all possible and they'll likely shoot you a look that says, "What do you mean?"
Then ask them how well they sleep at night.
Last week Reuters reported on a new study that points to the "negative influence of excessive media consumption on children's sleep, health, and performance." The study was written up in the journal Pediatrics this month, and it focused solely on teen boys who play interactive (i.e., racing) computer games after finishing their homework. When it came time to sleep, it took longer for them to fall asleep, and they spent less time in that slow-wave deep sleep that's critical to feeling refreshed the next day and ready to learn new skills (it's also important for consolidating memory).
Okay, now is this shocking news to anyone? Probably not. Any stimulating activity before bedtime can send sound sleep packing. And I doubt our bodies will adapt--evolutionarily-speaking--to our current lifestyles fast enough to rectify this problem. In other words, we may choose to stay up late and cut back on sleep, but that doesn't mean our bodies won't suffer or suddenly find ways to cope effectively with less sleep. So I think we'll see more sleep-deprived people in the future as we continue to test our physical limits and do everything possible to keep busy 25/8 (not 24/7).
Will there be a breaking point, though? Will all this poor sleep impair memory to the extent it affects innovation (and the next generation of uber-stimulating gadgets)?
Nah, I doubt that, too. But when Johnnie or Suzie start to suffer in school, maybe there's something to be said for putting a curfew on that video gaming system. And cell phone. And computer. And...