Only 20.2% Of Florida Teens Get 8 Hours of Sleep, 11th Lowest in U.S.

Living through one’s teenage years is never easy, but for today’s teens, it seems harder than ever to enjoy a happy, healthy adolescence.

Late in 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General released a new advisory on youth mental health, drawing attention to rising rates of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and other mental health issues among young Americans. According to data cited in the advisory, up to one in five U.S. children aged 3 to 17 had a reported mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. Many of these worrying conditions predated the COVID-19 pandemic, which worsened mental health for many young people by disrupting their routines, limiting their social interactions, and increasing stress about the health of loved ones.

These trends in youth mental health can be attributed in part to detrimental shifts in young people’s lifestyle over time, including increased academic stress, growing use of digital media, and worsening health habits. And one of the major potential culprits in the latter category is sleep.

According to the CDC, teenagers should sleep between 8–10 hours per 24 hour period. This level of sleep is associated with a number of better physical and mental health outcomes, including lower risk of obesity and fewer problems with attention and behavior. Despite this, less than a quarter of teens report sleeping at least eight hours per day—a number that has fallen significantly over the last decade.

From 2007 to 2013, just under one-third of teens reported getting at least eight hours of sleep per night. In 2015, that number began to fall, and by 2019, only 22.1% teens were meeting that threshold. One likely contributing factor is a rise in device usage over the same span. In 2007—the same year that the iPhone launched—24.9% of teens were spending more than three hours on their phone or computer in a given day. In 2019, that figure had risen to 46.1%.

While the overall numbers for teens’ sleep habits are concerning, some subgroups are getting more sleep than others. Age is one factor: as teenagers get older, the share reporting that they sleep at least eight hours declines. Among 9th graders, 28.9% are sleeping more than eight hours, but for 11th and 12th graders, only around 17% are. There is also a slight separation along gender lines, with 23.8% of males receiving adequate sleep compared to just 20.3% of females.

The analysis found that only 20.2% of Florida high schoolers report getting eight hours of sleep on school nights. Out of the 34 states with complete data available, Florida has the 11th lowest percentage of high school students who get at least eight hours of sleep per night.

Here is a summary of the data for Florida:

• Teens who get 8 hours of sleep: 20.2%

• Teens who spend >3hrs on phone/computer: 47.7%

• Teens who don't exercise: 21.8%

• Teens who watch >3hrs of TV: 22.0%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Teens who get 8 hours of sleep: 22.1%

• Teens who spend >3hrs on phone/computer: 46.1%

• Teens who don't exercise: 17.0%

• Teens who watch >3hrs of TV: 19.8%