A Little Too Connected?
Were the young people who celebrated World Youth Day well-rested going in to the exhausting event? They were if they’ve been going easy on their cell-phone calls and text messages. That’s according to a new study by Sahlgren’s Academy in Sweden, which found that teens who made more than 15 phone calls and sent more than 15 text messages in one day slept poorly (compared with those who made less than five of each a day). Meanwhile another international study found that sleep-deprived teens have lower marks, poor emotional health and are less motivated. “Addiction to cell phones is becoming more common … (and) children start to use mobile phones at an early stage of their life,” said Dr. Gaby Badre, the Swedish study’s author. A third study, conducted at the University of Kentucky on 882 students, found that teens who slept less than eight hours a night got worse grades and had a higher level of emotional disturbance. No wonder Jesus called his disciples to “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). One can’t help but wonder if the spot he led them to is within reach of a cellular tower today.
