Study desk for teen in own room or common room?

4 years ago

Do your teens study in their own rooms or in the family / common rooms? Looking to get a proper desk and computer for my middle-aged child but being the digital age and all, should I place it in a quiet corner of the family room (that we'll dedicate as homework room), or in his own room? I would like to be able to keep an eye while he's on the computer but I also want him to have his own space. Thanks!

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

4 years ago

When it comes to healthy sleep (which teens are short on to begin with) the BEST option for a bedroom is: sleep only. No work space. Bedrooms are for two things and two things only. Sleep and procreation. I won't get into the second part....that's another thread entirely. But SLEEP is the MAIN activity for a bedroom.

The blue light from TVs, tablets, phones, desk tops, lap tops, e-readers, etc is EXTREMELY damaging to the sleep cycle. As soon as you encourage the body/human/teenager to BE AWAKE and WORKING in a bedroom you are robbing the body of its chance to sleep.

It takes almost 3 hours for the body to recover from the glow of electronics. That means a teenager using a device to study must have everything TURNED OFF around about 7pm. Yah...Not going to happen. If you put that study device in a bedroom it is DOUBLY DIFFICULT for the body/mind to 'shut off'.

As soon as the brain 'sees' the TV/desk/device in the bedroom it GEARS UP to be entertained. Even if it isn't used. The brain then needs another hour or so to 'get over' this alerting mechanism.

In essence, nothing should be in the bedroom other than a bed and some supporting furniture for clothing. And the lighting should be kept a soft yellow. No blue lights/halogens in the bedroom either.

We are a massively sleep deprived society. There is no need to crush a teenagers need for sleep by forcing them to use the bedroom to study. No one needs a cranky teenager to become crankier because of the items in their bedroom.

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Comments (33)

Robbin Capers
4 years ago
Ours do homework in the common areas but mostly because they don't have room for a desk in their room right now. I can see advantages to both. Where would your kid prefer to study? You can keep an eye on their internet browsing without being in the same room.
tsjmjh
4 years ago
My children flew the nest long ago but even in those olden days they never ever once studied in a common area. Always in their rooms.
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Judy Lam
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Thanks for the responses! Our challenge is that the bedrooms are on the smaller side (12 x 12, including built in closet - so it's more like 11x10). With a full-sized bed I'm not sure if it'll fit a desk, book case, etc. Also they are Jack and Jill's - which means in addition to windows they each have two doors (one regular door and another leading to the shared bath)- which makes putting furnitures even harder!
Robbin Capers
4 years ago
If they're really tight for space you might try a loft bed with a desk underneath. That's what both our boys are wanting
Zalco/bring back Sophie!
4 years ago
It's up to their preferences.Mine quit doing homework at the kitchen table in grade school. Loft bed with desk was the solution for my tiny house.
User
4 years ago
From some research, the kitchen table (or communal area) appears to be the most recommended. From Sharecare: For most kids, however, the best place to do homework is at a kitchen or dining table, where they can interact with you or other family members and easily ask for help if they need it. This arrangement is useful for you as well, because it makes it easier to stay attuned and involved in what your child is learning and enables you to recognize your child’s strengths and weaknesses in different subjects. https://www.sharecare.com/health/school-age-child-development/teenager-wheres-best-place-homework

Generally dependent upon child, but public area is generally recommended.
roarah
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
My thirteen year old gets 9 hrs of shut eye minimum even with her pc and desk under her loft bed. She needs a space that is quiet and common rooms are not. She adhere's to our not blue screens after 7:30 with exceptions only for mid terms and finals where if she needs extra homework time we make adjustments.
J Williams
4 years ago
Depends on the kid, for mine, a computer or even a tv in his room? No way. I am currently wishing computer could be locked in a separate room.
maddielee
4 years ago
My kids never used the nice desks that were in their bedrooms. They did all their studying on their beds or the floor.
drdeb1234
4 years ago
I was going to say this too. Check with your kid but mine spent lots of time doing work sitting on their beds. Best at this age to try to work with them in planning things out.
drdeb1234
4 years ago
In terms of quiet vs busy spaces, some prefer the busy. Or having headphones and music going. It's really an individual thing and there's not much point setting up a "perfect" study area that they're not gonna use.
Robbin Capers
4 years ago
I think what Lisa said about the benefits of doing homework in a common area makes a lot of sense, but I've also noticed a tendency of asking for help right away instead of really thinking through questions, if a grown-up is right there. From my experience as a student it's really beneficial to learn how to triage and answer what you can on your own and then figure out what you really need help with.
tsjmjh
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I appreciate all of the research but from experience I know that there was no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that my middle schoolers or teenagers would have ever done homework at the kitchen table or in some other family gathering area. None of the children of my friends ever did, either.

For a boy, I think the loft bed with desk underneath is a great idea. *I* would have loved something like that and I'm a girl. Was a girl. Now an old lady, lol.
calidesign
4 years ago
I would have a work surface in their room, so they have the option for a quiet space if they don't want to use the kitchen table or family room space. Get a laptop rather than a computer, so you have flexibility, and set whatever rules you are comfortable with in terms of where it may be used.
suezbell
4 years ago
If you have a family room and a living room, you could designate the family room as the "think tank" and furnish it for more than one person to be using it as an office AND enable it to also be used for a game room for when his friends come over (rather than having "studying" going on in the bedroom) -- perhaps including table space and storage space for card games or board games as well as e games.
J Williams
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
You guys must have the most compliant kids in the universe. I know as a kid, it would never have crossed my mind to not do homework, i wanted to do it to get through the classes and I was scared of disappointing my parents. But I have also known plenty of kids, esp with all the distractions computers bring now, that should not have a computer in their room because they are still learning self control, not to mention the dangers they can get themselves into. Also, my neighbours son plays on his computer until 11am some nights, with headphones on, and you would not Believe the swearing and profanities that come out of this kids mouth.
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
OMG COMMON ROOM FOR KID'S COMPUTERS! I cannot possibly stress this enough. my sister had to move my niece's computer out of her room when she was only 13. she was being preyed upon by a twentysomething guy online and nobody knew about it until her brother walked in on her having a video chat with him. he was trying to convince her to take her shirt off. it was SO scary. (this was a decade ago when we all were a little more naive.)

I don't have kids, but if I did, I'd make them keep their computers in full sight until they were old enough to truly understand how to mitigate ALL of the risks. I don't just mean wasting time or porn, but also stalking, trolling, bullying, scams, money concerns, privacy, data, the list goes on an on.
Steph H
4 years ago
I have a 14 year old and 12 year old and they do their homework in their rooms. We have a rowdy large family with little kids and they could never get their work done in a common area. I still need to buy my 12 year old a desk for his room, but he sits on his bed with his school laptop. I check in on them fairly often and the technology has a “bedtime” when it is blocked.
Jilly
4 years ago
My DD preferred using her laptop in her room, on her bed, headphones on.

We had a computer/printer, etc set up in our home office — she’d study and do projects in there sometimes, too. She rarely did homework in the living or dining rooms.

I’m thankful social media hadn’t taken off strong yet when she was in school, I can imagine that has changed things a lot.
Tara
4 years ago
I always did homework in my room, on my bed. I had a desk, but I used it as a dressing table LOL. I could have never concentrated in the middle of a bunch of people.
ratherbesewing
4 years ago
Are you buying a pc? Most people own laptops that move about their home so a designated spot isn't necessary except for the printer. The students today (my kids are out of college) are required to do much of their homework via computer--some schools have online books. The common area in my house was too noisy for studying.
PRO
Cohost Home by Veronica
4 years ago
You can also consider a closet office or foldable desk by Esme
rebeccamomof123
4 years ago
If you’re concerned about screen privacy with teenagers, it’s not the laptops you have to worry about, it’s the phones. I have two teenagers and a 10-year-old. My teenagers do their homework in their bedrooms, either on their beds or on the floor. Our main floor is open concept, so there’s really no quiet space, with cooking going on, TVs on, 10-year-olds playing games or having friends, over, “quiet” just doesn’t happen. We have a family laptop, but for homework, they use school-assigned chrome books. My teenagers have sports nearly every day after school, they come home and have some time to decompress, family dinner every night, then they go up to do their homework, shower & bed. It works for us, but for you it depends on the floor plan of the rest of your house, and what your nightly family routine is.
bpath
4 years ago
How does your teen like to study? My parents gave me a nice built-in desk to work at quietly in my bedroom, but I did, and do still, prefer to work at a table, with the hum of activity around.
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
In additon to what I said above-- maybe the computers / phones don't necessarily have to be in a common room. if in the bedroom at least keep a strict open door policy -- make sure you can see the screen from the hallway, etc.

what happened to my niece: it' s not like she was particularly naive or rebellious. She was actually a sweet kid and very web savvy. It's just that people out there can be very slippery.
PRO
Kids Rule Interiors
4 years ago
Hi there, Kids rooms are multifunctional spaces that work well when they are zoned and when they are adaptable and can grow with the child.
I agree that screens and blue light and the stress of seeing your unfinished homework may not be conducive to sleep but there are arguments for and against work and computers being in or out of bedrooms.
It depends on you as a family and your home and your child. Personally my brother was 10 years younger than me and I got on with my homework upstairs in my room whilst he watched the Little Mermaid ! Adaptable furniture and space is great do that if there is a desk it worktop or spot at the breakfast bar for study and it’s the right time and environment then great. Might be that the teenage wants to have quiet and focus with strong boundaries regarding the use of technology.
Make it possible to work wherever and they will choose what works best for them. Talk to your teenager and let them help to choose.
WestCoast Hopeful
4 years ago
Both! Each of my kids has a desk for when they really want solitude but most work happens at the kitchen island so they can ask me questions
Linda Thomas
4 years ago
To attempt to study in a common area (kitchen) would be too distracting to most teens and adults. Younger children in common area is fine but as one person wrote, it usually ends in grade school. Is it a trust issue they won’t study or a control issue, no insult intended. If you child wants a common study area go that direction, but if the want to study in their room, let them.
J Williams
4 years ago
Is it a trust or or control issue? Neither, for us. Do you honestly ask that of a parent if a kid walks in front of a car or eats candy for dinner? That is just stupidity. Some kids will be fine, some won’t.
eastautumn
4 years ago
My daughter (in 8th grade) has a desk in her room, but does 90% of her homework crouched over on the floor of her bedroom. She recently asked if she could replace the desk with a cozy reading chair, which seems like a good idea given she rarely uses it anymore-- she used to use it for crafts and writing, but now she only stores supplies in the desk and does those activities on the floor as well.

Our son (also in middle school) has no choice. He has to do all of his homework, on a school issued iPad, in the kitchen where I can see him and make sure he is actually doing his homework and not getting distracted . So I think it really depends on the kid.
Judy Lam
Original Author
4 years ago
Very true that it depends on the child. I just remember when I was a teenager there were no computers or phones so I studied in my room all the time. Now with social media / internet it's a whole other story! Maybe we'll do a set up in both common area and his own room and have him decide based on what's going on in the house. Thanks all!
Steph H
4 years ago
I think it’s a good thing for parents to hold the control ultimately in the lives of their children. Their brains are not fully developed until 18 or beyond. Nothing wrong with control in my book. Within reason of course!

Study desk for teen in own room or common room?

SJ McCarthy

Comments (33)

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Study desk for teen in own room or common room?

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