About 40 percent of teenagers suffer from neck and back pain that is mainly caused by spending too much time using computers and mobile devices, researchers from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) found.

Information from the BCA stated that “almost three quarters (68%) of 11 to 16 year olds spend between one and four hours a day on a laptop, tablet or computer and a staggering 73% spend between one and six hours on the devices. More than a third (38%) of parents said their child spends between one and six hours a day on their mobile phone.”

Commenting on the findings, chiropractor Rishi Loatey told the BCA: “We are seeing more and more people under the age of sixteen with back and neck pain and technology is so often the cause. Young people are becoming increasingly sedentary which is damaging their posture. There is the tendency to sit in a hunched position when working on computers and laptops, putting a lot of strain on the neck.”

He continued by stating that “if conditions are left untreated it could lead to chronic back and neck problems in later life.”

One of the problems researchers noted was that teenagers are often so engrossed in what they are doing that they are not even aware of the early signs of neck and back problems.

To combat this potential issue, here are a few tips adapted from the BCA to reduce the risk of pain and long-term damage to your body:

Exercise regularly so that your back can withstand longer periods of sitting still.

Pay attention to how you are sitting and make it a habit to sit up straight with your feet on the floor. When using a laptop, ideally, the top of the screen should be level with your eyebrows.

Take regular breaks from sitting and stretch your arms, shrug your shoulders, and move your fingers around to help keep the muscles more relaxed.