Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
Date Submitted: Jul 15, 2021
Date Accepted: Jan 19, 2022
Evidence-based behavioral strategies in smartphone applications for children’s sleep: A content analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Empirically supported treatments for pediatric sleep problems exist but many families turn to other sources for help with their child’s sleep, such as smartphone applications (apps). Sleep apps are easy for families to access but little evidence exists regarding the validity of the services and information provided in the developer descriptions of the apps.
Objective:
The goal of this study was to examine the features and claims of developer descriptions of sleep apps for children.
Methods:
A search of the Apple iTunes store and Google Play Store was conducted using the terms “kids sleep,” “child sleep,” and “baby sleep”. Data on the type of app, price, user rating, and number of users were collected. Apps were analyzed in terms of comparison to evidence-based behavioral strategies and were thematically coded based on claims provided in developer descriptions.
Results:
A total of 83 app descriptions were examined of which only 2 (2.4%) offered sleep improvement strategies. The majority were sound and light apps (78%) and 19% were bedtime games/stories. Only 18 apps (21.6%) were identified as containing empirically-supported behavioral sleep strategies. Despite this, many apps asserted claims that they will help children “fall asleep instantly,” “cry less and sleep better,” or improve child development.
Conclusions:
A large variety of sleep applications exist aimed for use with children, but few include evidence-based behavioral strategies per the developer descriptions of the apps. Addressing sleep difficulties in children is important to promote physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Collaboration between sleep researchers and technology developers may be beneficial for the creation of evidence-supported apps to help with children’s sleep in the future.
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