According to a survey by an Indian trade association, urban children aged between 10 and 18 are having sleepless nights, spending an average of 6 to 7 hours a day using some kind of electronic device.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) survey showed that 80% of school students are getting less than eight hours of sleep on school days.

An aspect which emerged out of this survey is that children of working parents are found to be more technology addictive in the absence of parental supervision, as compared to those whose single parent is engaged in employment. This trend is abundant in metros where normally both the parents are employed, reveals the survey.

The survey of 2,500 respondents was conducted in the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahemdabad, Lucknow, Jaipur.

The survey reveals that new technologies, such as cell phones and social networking sites, give teenagers easy access to their friends 24 hours a day. Over half of those interviewed reportedly told that they accessed internet and mobile phones for over 7 hours/day. Significantly, boys reported higher levels of internet browsing as compared to girls.

The survey showed that 88% of the students are up late doing homework or studying. Other late-night activities include watching television, surfing the Internet or chatting online

Around 86% of surveyed said they have a phone, music system, computer or television in their bedroom and two-thirds have all three. And one-quarter of teenagers admitted that their quality of sleep is affected by leaving on the TV, video games, or computer.

Majority of respondent said that they keep phone at her bedside in case a friend called or text-messaged in the middle of the night. Sometimes, they receive calls or messages as late as 4 a.m.

The survey warned that excessive use of mobile phones makes teenagers more restless and can exacerbate sleep problems and stress.