Live data from Hacker News

Let Teenagers Sleep

scientificamerican.com

31–40 of 497 posts

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#31
post #6
post #3

I've gotta ask: is this really such a big problem in other countries? If not, are they starting school later? How are the successful ones dealing with it if not that way?

You can just ask Google for the typical high school (noting that the term for such schooling can drift) hours in another country. I chose Spain, and it says 9-5 with a 2 hour break for lunch in the middle. Some of the sources say 8:30. Nothing says earlier than that. This article, in contrast, says it required this argument to even get some schools here to compromise on 8:30, and that 9 was the recommendation.

Spain has an absurd timezone though

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#32

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

[dead]

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#33

Is smartphone/digital screen attributable to some degree to teenager's late-night habits, and therefore a need for later school times?

To some degree, perhaps. But this problem/requirement was around long before smartphones, long before home computers.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#34

Is smartphone/digital screen attributable to some degree to teenager's late-night habits, and therefore a need for later school times?

I was a pre smart phone teenager. Up into the late late night reading, drawing with pencil and paper, and playing acoustic guitar. Sleep did not accept me early in the night no matter how much I wanted and tried.

Now mornings are the best part of my days. I’m in my later 40s.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#35
post #7

One big reason this shift isn't happening is that it creates coordination problems: for many families, everyone leaves for school at the same time, so if you move grade 9 forward an hour, you have to do the same with grade 4 to get any benefit; the 9th grader is taking the 4th grader to school. That problem stopped this shift dead recently where I live.

Yeah, IIRC Boston actually tried this, and the uproar from parents whose schedules were thrown into disarray was so intense it had to immediately be walked back. It sucks, but there are broader considerations at play.

Sounds like parents have too much to worry about since both parents have to work or their house will be foreclosed on.

Ive read some speculation that the women's right to work movement was just a ploy to double the workforce. Not only that, thet get double the workers for less money since nearly all women are paid less than their male counterparts.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#36
post #7

One big reason this shift isn't happening is that it creates coordination problems: for many families, everyone leaves for school at the same time, so if you move grade 9 forward an hour, you have to do the same with grade 4 to get any benefit; the 9th grader is taking the 4th grader to school. That problem stopped this shift dead recently where I live.

You can find counterarguments like this for any entrenched problem that has an obvious solution. When people want the solution they'll figure out those issues themselves.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#37
post #7

One big reason this shift isn't happening is that it creates coordination problems: for many families, everyone leaves for school at the same time, so if you move grade 9 forward an hour, you have to do the same with grade 4 to get any benefit; the 9th grader is taking the 4th grader to school. That problem stopped this shift dead recently where I live.

This is why we have school busses. Why are children being tasked with transporting other children to school?

Not OP, but OP may have meant:

Sometimes older siblings contribute to childcare. A 9th grader that is home at 3pm, can watch a 4th grader that is home at 4pm until parents arrive home at 5pm.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#38
post #9
post #7

One big reason this shift isn't happening is that it creates coordination problems: for many families, everyone leaves for school at the same time, so if you move grade 9 forward an hour, you have to do the same with grade 4 to get any benefit; the 9th grader is taking the 4th grader to school. That problem stopped this shift dead recently where I live.

It could've happened if the transition to remote work was allowed to keep going, but too many companies were invested in commercial real estate (e.g via REITs etc) to let it happen. ^^gross oversimplification, but I'm standing by it

Most people in the US work in businesses shelpping shit around (Amazon, WalMart, UPS, etc.). Work from home simply isn't in the cards for them, ever.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#39
post #7

One big reason this shift isn't happening is that it creates coordination problems: for many families, everyone leaves for school at the same time, so if you move grade 9 forward an hour, you have to do the same with grade 4 to get any benefit; the 9th grader is taking the 4th grader to school. That problem stopped this shift dead recently where I live.

Yeah, IIRC Boston actually tried this, and the uproar from parents whose schedules were thrown into disarray was so intense it had to immediately be walked back. It sucks, but there are broader considerations at play.

It's odd that parents consider broader considerations like their 9-5 schedule more important than the health and well-being of their own children. With all the resources and technology we have it's not as if we don't have the ability to find solutions to problems like "How to move a child from point A to point B at time C", so I guess this is more of a lack of will than a lack of capability.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#40
As a teenager I used to stay up until 2-3am watching movies on my ipod touch - which had a ludicrously small screen by todays standards.

I'm in favor of moving back start times but we should also better study and educate on the consequences of bad personal habits.

Post reply on HN