Why 83 Percent of Millennials Sleep with their Phones
A recent study by the Pew Research Center aimed to capture a snapshot of the millennial generation—the young men and women born after 1980. Among the findings? Around 83 percent of those 18- to 29-year-olds sleep with their cell phones within reach. Some out-of-touch folks are claiming millennials are obsessed with communication, but we’ve got some other ideas why sleeping with a cell is so common.
Sounds like it would be a pretty shocking statistic for anyone who wants to claim that we (yes, your dear blogger is a millennial herself) are too connected. But we also think that those party poopers don’t realize what a multi-faceted tool a cell phone can be.
We’re not sleeping with the phone on the nightstand because we’re waiting for the next Facebook alert. Chances are, the millennials in the study are using their phones one of these ways:
As an alarm clock.
Why buy an alarm clock when you can use the one built in to your cell phone? Plus, a lot of tech-savvy people prefer their cell over any other alarm.
As their only (emergency) phone.
We’d bet money that most of those 83 percent of millennials’ cell phones are their only phones. While mom and pop might have rest easy knowing they could hear the kitchen’s land line if a 3 a.m. emergency happened, us millennials have to keep a cell phone nearby.
As a sleep aid.
There’s bagillions of apps on the market (that’s a proven statistic, by the way), including plenty to help you sleep. Whether you need a noise machine, a sleep cycle aid or something to help with insomnia—say it with us… there’s an app for that!
(Images: Sonos, iPhone Flip Clock is Our New Bedside Clock)