Sleep is policy: Why adolescent well-being depends on time in bed

Sleep is policy: Why adolescent well-being depends on time in bed Longitudinal research indicates that protecting adolescent sleep is among the most effective policies for youth well-being, as explained by Eun Jin Jung. Adequate sleep is not a lifestyle choice for adolescents – it is a policy issue with measurable consequences for life satisfaction and mental health. Adolescent sleep deprivation is often framed as an individual or family-level issue. New longitudinal evidence challenges this view. Drawing on seven years of nationally representative panel data, this research demonstrates that longer sleep duration causally improves adolescents’ life satisfaction over time, while the reverse relationship does not hold. The findings point to an urgent need for policy-level interventions addressing school schedules, academic intensity, and youth well-being frameworks.