Is 5 Hours Good for a 14 Year Old? What Most Parents Get Wrong

What Are We Talking About – Sleep, Screen Time, or Studying?

Alright, first things first: when someone asks “Is 5 hours good for a 14 year old?” — we gotta clarify what we're talking about. Most of the time, people mean sleep. Sometimes it's study hours, sometimes even screen time. Let’s break it down, one by one, with a few twists (and yeah, I’ll admit, I used to think differently too).

Sleep: 5 Hours? Nope, That’s a Red Flag

How Much Sleep Do Teens Really Need?

According to the CDC and sleep experts, teenagers aged 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Not 5. Not even 6. So yeah — 5 hours? Not good. That’s sleep deprivation, straight up.

Even though some kids feel fine with just 5 hours (especially when they're all hyped up on caffeine or adrenaline from gaming), their brain is still foggy underneath it all. Reaction times slow down, memory gets fuzzy, and emotions? All over the place.

Short-Term Effects (They Show Up Fast)

• Trouble concentrating in class

• Mood swings — big ones

• Poor performance in sports and tests

• Risky behavior increases (yep, even just from sleep loss)

Honestly, I pulled a few 5-hour nights when I was that age, thinking I was invincible. Next day? I forgot my French oral presentation. Completely blanked. It was rough.

Long-Term Risks? Don’t Mess With It

Chronic sleep deprivation in teens is linked to:

• Anxiety, depression

• Weaker immune system

• Obesity and heart issues later on

So yeah, five hours isn't “just a little less.” It’s a lot less, and the body keeps the score.

Studying: Is 5 Hours of Study Good?

Depends — Every Teen’s Different

Now if we’re talking about study time, 5 hours could be good, or too much. For a 14-year-old, the sweet spot is usually between 1.5 to 3 hours a day, depending on the workload, attention span, and school system.

Doing 5 hours every single day might lead to burnout. Unless it’s exam week, and the teen is managing their breaks well — okay, maybe. But most need more balance.

Signs It’s Too Much

• No time for hobbies or friends

• Constant stress or headaches

• Saying "I hate school" way too often

(Quick side note: my cousin went through a phase where her parents pushed her to study 5 hours a day. Straight A's, sure — but she quit piano and lost her social circle. Not worth it.)

Screen Time: 5 Hours? That’s the New Normal

Wait… Is It Really That Bad?

Here's where it gets tricky. Five hours of screen time doesn’t sound too crazy in 2025. Between school, social media, YouTube, and gaming — yeah, that adds up fast. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day, but hey, let’s be real: almost no teen sticks to that.

What matters more is what kind of screen time it is:

• Watching dumb TikToks for 4 hours? Meh.

• Doing a digital art project or coding? Cool.

• Binging Netflix till 2am? Nope, that loops back to bad sleep.

Balance Is the Key (Not Just the Clock)

Instead of obsessing over the exact number, check:

• Are they getting outside each day?

• Still doing schoolwork and sleeping enough?

• Are they cranky when the WiFi goes out? (That’s a red flag)

If yes to the first two and no to the third, then 5 hours might be fine-ish.

Final Take: Context Is Everything

So, is 5 hours good for a 14-year-old? Well — it depends. If it’s sleep, absolutely not. If it’s study, maybe too much. If it’s screen time, could be fine, could be too much.

The real question isn’t “is 5 hours good?” It’s what are those 5 hours made of, and what’s being sacrificed? Health, fun, rest — all of it matters.

And yeah, I’ve changed my mind about this over time. Thought less was fine. But looking back? Kids need more slack and better habits — not just tighter rules.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.