What Time Should a Teenager Go to Bed?

This is one of the most contested bedtime debates in any household with a teenager — and the science is clearer than most parents (or teens) realise. Teenagers are not simply choosing to stay up late out of defiance; their circadian biology has genuinely shifted.

The Recommended Range

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 8–10 hours per night for teenagers aged 13–18. For a typical 6:30–7 AM school wake-up, this means a bedtime between 9:30 PM and 11 PM depending on the individual.

Why Teens Are Biologically Wired for Later Sleep

During puberty, melatonin release shifts approximately 2 hours later than in childhood or adulthood. A teenager who "cannot fall asleep" at 9 PM is often not being defiant — their brain genuinely has not begun producing sleep-inducing melatonin yet. This shift is well documented in sleep research and is the primary reason many countries have debated later school start times.

Practical Bedtime Targets by Wake Time

What Actually Helps

Rather than fighting the biology, the most effective strategies work with it: bright light exposure immediately on waking (even artificial light helps advance the clock slightly), a firm screen curfew 60 minutes before target bedtime, and total consistency on weekends — sleeping in more than 90 minutes past the weekday wake time undoes a week of progress.

See the full recommended ranges by age at every stage with our Sleep by Age guide, or check your teen's chronotype for a personalised read.