Today, young people spend 4 to 8 hours a day on their smartphones, online courses, or entertainment screens. A habit that has become normal... but which has a direct impact on their posture and health, especially regarding the neck, shoulders, and general fatigue.
The phenomenon has a name: forward head posture, also known as Text Neck.
1. Smartphones: forward head posture from adolescence
A study published on PubMed Central shows that intensive smartphone use leads to a change in cervical posture in adolescents, with frequent neck pain and headaches.
The longer young people look at their phones, the more their head inclination increases, which overloads the neck muscles.
2. Students: a majority already exhibit at-risk posture
A study conducted among university students revealed that nearly 63% of them exhibited forward head posture linked to prolonged smartphone use.
This posture is not just a "minor flaw": it is associated with neck pain, fatigue, migraines, and loss of concentration.
3. Prolonged screen time = real pain
A study published in ScienceDirect shows that:
59% of students have neck pain
53% have shoulder pain
54% have upper back pain
The more screen exposure increases, the more posture degrades... and the more frequent the pain becomes.
4. Why act early?
In young people, forward head posture can quickly become a habit.
Correcting this behavior early helps to:
Prevent chronic pain in adulthood
Improve concentration
Reduce neck fatigue
Encourage better digital hygiene
Many scientific studies now show that young people (teens and students) who use screens too much develop "forward head posture" (also known as Text Neck). It is important to act quickly and preserve their health!
Here are some very interesting and above all concerning links regarding the health of our children:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10742370/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34092602/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214751923002359
Simple solutions exist: regular breaks, adjusting screen height, postural awareness... or even tools like Ocilys, which helps gently correct posture before it becomes problematic.