2026 Theses Doctoral

SleepTube: A Descriptive Analysis of the Most Viewed YouTube Videos on Sleep Health

D'Amico, Sarah

Sleep health is a significant public health concern, and children’s insufficient sleep has been identified as a worsening objective in Healthy People 2030. As one of the most widely used platforms in the world, YouTube serves as an increasingly common source of health information for parents and caregivers.

This cross-sectional study examined the 100 most widely viewed YouTube videos produced from the search term “sleep health kids,” describing their upload source, format, and content related to sleep health education for children ages 4–11. Videos were coded using a researcher-developed instrument informed by a review of sleep health literature and an epidemiological framework.

The 100 videos accumulated a total of 272,622,587 views. Commercial or Broadcast Media sources yielded the highest percentage of views (45.84%), followed by Medical or Educational Institutions (37.17%). Content related to behavioral determinants improving sleep health was present in the highest number of videos and garnered the greatest percentage of views (80.73%). Content related to screen use, age-specific recommendations for children ages 4–11, and the impact of sleep on mental and social-emotional health was notably underrepresented across the most widely viewed videos.

These findings suggested that while YouTube broadly disseminates general sleep health recommendations, significant content gaps remain, particularly related to technology use, emotional well-being, and systemic determinants of children’s sleep health. These gaps have implications for parents, health educators, and policymakers.