Most kids in the U.S. will soon have less time to play outside before it gets dark. That’s because daylight saving time (DST) ends on November 3. People in most states will set their clocks back one hour. They’ll “fall back” to what’s called standard time. When DST starts again in March, people will “spring forward” by moving their clocks ahead an hour.
Why the back-and-forth? DST was introduced in the U.S. in 1918 as a way to save energy. Because the sun sets later during DST, the idea was that people would rely on sunlight instead of electricity to light their homes longer.
Today many Americans don’t think changing the clocks is such a bright idea. Critics of the time change point out that Hawaii and most of Arizona are always on standard time. They argue that our bodies are used to being on standard time and that moving our clocks forward and back can disrupt our sleep patterns.
But others like switching to DST. They say the extra hour of daylight encourages people to be more active after work and school. Others argue that DST can help businesses because people stay out later.