A new bill is making its way through Tallahassee, and it’s all about allowing kids to sleep more before school.
This bill would prevent middle schools from starting before 8 a.m. and high schools before 8:30 a.m.
Many studies have shown starting school too early can lead to sleep deprivation in teens, and both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree.
The Academy recommends middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to give students more time to get the amount of sleep they need.
In fact, it’s recommended that teenagers 13 to 18 should regularly get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every day.
A CDC study revealed that in 42 states, most public middle and high schools start before 8:30 a.m., and teenagers that do not regularly get enough rest are more likely to be overweight and not engage in physical exercise, to suffer from depression, to perform poorly in school, and to engage in risky behaviors like drinking, smoking, or doing drugs.
The CDC does have some advice for parents to implement better sleep practices for the whole family, including adolescents and teens:
- Set a regular bedtime and rise time, including on weekends. This is recommended for everyone in the household.
- Dim the lighting. The CDC says kids who are exposed to more light at nighttime are less likely to get enough sleep.
- Start a “media curfew,” meaning have a rule that everyone stop uses their electronic devices and log off social media by a certain time every night
This bill was filed on Wednesday.
If it were to pass and be signed into law, be advised, it would not take effect until 2026.