Nearly one in four parents say they’ve given melatonin to their children to help them sleep, according to a recent survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. While its popularity is growing, research on its effectiveness and long-term safety remains limited. On November 18, 2025, SciLine interviewed Dr. Lauren Hartstein, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
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ANCHOR
BETWEEN SCREENS… BUSY SCHEDULES… AND EVERYDAY STRESS … MANY FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING TO GET THEIR KIDS A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP.
AND MORE PARENTS ARE TURNING TO MELATONIN FOR HELP.
BUT IS IT SAFE?
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A NEW SURVEY FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE FINDS NEARLY ONE IN FOUR PARENTS HAVE GIVEN THEIR CHILD MELATONIN TO HELP THEM FALL ASLEEP.
MELATONIN IS A HORMONE THE BODY NATURALLY PRODUCES TO SIGNAL BEDTIME… BUT THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTS HAS SKYROCKETED.
DOCTOR LAUREN HARTSTEIN… AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA… SAYS SUPPLIMENTS CAN HELP SOME CHILDREN FALL ASLEEP EARLIER… BUT IT’S NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION FOR SLEEP PROBLEMS.
SOT Duration: 0:37 Super: Dr. Lauren Hartstein – Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
“It’s important because we know that melatonin use is growing. We know that parents are turning to it in larger numbers than ever to help their children to sleep. We know that sleep in early childhood is extremely important. The sleep habits that children establish at a young age will follow them throughout childhood and adolescence. We also know that not getting enough sleep in early childhood can have really severe outcomes for development, for emotional development, for academic performance later in life. And so finding effective and safe strategies to support parents in helping their child to sleep, even from an early age is really critical.”
VO
DOCTOR HARTSTEIN SAYS SAFE… EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES INCLUDE A CONSISTENT SCHEDULE… A REGULAR BEDTIME ROUTINE… AND LIMITING SCREENS AND BRIGHT LIGHTS AN HOUR BEFORE BED.
SHE SAYS MELATONIN IS SAFE SHORT-TERM… BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT LONG-TERM USE.
SHE RECOMMENDS TALKING TO YOUR CHILD’S PEDIATRICIAN BEFORE GIVING IT.
