Why Teens Should Start Later Essay

For many teenagers, the dreaded moment of the day is hearing their alarm clock sound at the crack of dawn. It indicates that they must get up and get ready for school, which can make this process even more dreadful than it already is. Since the invention of schools and organized learning, the days begin early in the morning, and end by the late afternoon. However, teens need more sleep than the average adult, and sleep deprivation in adolescents has become a more prevalent issue in today’s society. While the start time of schools across the world varies, numerous schools start at 8:30, 8, 7:30, or sometimes even earlier. On average, teenagers need approximately 9 ¼ hours of sleep for optimal performance (National Sleep Foundation). Therefore, the majority students would have to go to bed before 10 o’clock to have this amount of sleep. Because of the biological clock in their bodies, this is nearly impossible to accomplish. Additionally, many teens are involved in extra curricular clubs, athletics, have a part time job, and hours of homework on top of that. If teenagers are unable to go to bed early, then society must adjust to their needs, and start school later. While there would be some challenges in starting later, there are a multitude of benefits to the students. Mainly, that teens would be more alert in the classroom, and their academic performance would improve.

Oftentimes, parents are perplexed as to why teens go to bed so late on weeknights. Furthermore, adolescents often

It not only affects alertness, but it also influences serious health issues. Therefore, to protect the alertness and health of our teenagers, schools must start later. In short, commencing school later in the day has an immensely positive effect on alertness, and acting on this can bring numerous benefits to both teens and society as a