Digital Self-Regulation Before Sleep and Emotional Control Among Adolescents: A Multilevel Cross-National Study of Canada and Hong Kong, Using PISA 2022

Digital device use before sleep has become increasingly common among adolescents, raising concerns about its implications for socio-emotional development. While previous research has primarily focused on the effects of screen time and technology exposure, relatively little is known about how adolescents’ ability to regulate digital device use before bedtime relates to their emotional well-being, specifically their emotional control. This study examined the associations between digital self-regulation before sleep and emotional control among adolescents in Canada and Hong Kong using nationally representative data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. Student- and school-level data were merged, yielding an analytic sample of 19,779 students nested within 996 schools (15,250 students in 833 schools from Canada and 4,529 students in 163 schools from Hong Kong). Multilevel modeling was employed to examine the effects of both individual- and school-level digital self-regulation before sleep while controlling for gender, socioeconomic status, school socioeconomic composition, home possessions, and school belonging. Results indicated that higher levels of individual digital self-regulation before sleep were significantly associated with better emotional control. In addition, students attending schools with higher average levels of digital self-regulation demonstrated better emotional control, highlighting the importance of the school context. The associations between digital self-regulation before sleep and emotional control differed significantly between Canada and Hong Kong and also varied, to a small extent, by gender. These findings suggest that adolescents’ capacity to regulate digital device use before bedtime represents an important self-regulatory competency that may support healthy socio-emotional development. The study extends current research by shifting attention from technology exposure to digital self-regulation and underscores the importance of considering individual, school, cultural, and gender contexts when promoting adolescent digital well-being.