The ‘tech neck’ time bomb: why 43 million young Americans could cripple U.S. health care within a generation

A spine surgeon warns that smartphone addiction is quietly deforming the spines of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

In approximately 20 years this nation will face a medical crisis so widespread and so debilitating, that it has the potential to harm America’s health care economy.

It will likely affect the vast majority of nearly 43 million Americans who demographers currently call Gen Alpha (10 to 12 years old) and Gen Z (12 to 18 years old).

The irony is this disease could have been preventable had there been a candid recognition of the coming crisis and a comprehensive health and well-being program implemented nationwide in our schools.

The culprit? What we currently call “tech neck” is usually described as neck pain, severe stiffness, discomfort, and spinal curvature caused by the excessive use of smartphones, laptops, and computers. One merely has to observe any social gathering of young people to recognize their coming health crisis in the years ahead.  Head down, shoulders hunched, and fingers flying on a keypad with the intensity of an individual suffering from an addiction. (In fact, researchers suggest that 63% of adolescents display what they suggest is “smartphone addiction,” evidenced by the need to have a constant connection to social media.)_

With that reality, if even a fraction of those 42 million Americans develop significant spinal issues as they approach middle age, the effect on U.S. medical costs will be substantial. Their care would require substantial increases in rehabilitation services, possible hospital attention, and long-term care. Insurance systems (both private and public) would face an unprecedented increase in claims, potentially leading to higher premiums and/or a rationing of benefits.

The building crisis is already becoming evident. Epidemiology studies show that 73% of university students and 64.7% of workers from home have neck or back pain. Nearly 40% of them claim to be less productive due to neck or low back pain

With today’s inpatient rehabilitation costs ranging from $19,360 to a stunning $443,040 per patient, the economic implications from the coming “tech neck” generation is chilling. Studies remind us these hard costs do not include such indirect costs such as lost wages. 

While we can identify the enormous consequences of this medical tsunami, we can also create and implement a comprehensive program that seeks to prevent this crisis from swamping the nation’s health care infrastructure and business model.

An example such an effort currently exists in many of our nation’s schools where there are programs designed to prevent football injuries among young athletes. Typically, coaches instruct their chargers on how best to prevent field heat stroke and brain concussions. They also impose rules regarding how football teams can tackle each other in an effort to reduce the chance of serious injuries. It would be easy to replicate that model and apply it to preventing text neck among members of these emerging generations. 

As a matter of national educational policy, we should create school-based health programs reviewed by the medical community that recognize and prevent early signs of spinal misalignment, scoliosis, or related abusive injuries of the neck and back caused by addiction to social media. These programs would be endorsed by parent organizations and implemented by educators as part of a dedicated spinal health education curriculum introduced during physical education or health classes.

The curriculum could include introducing “break” routines during study sessions or online social entertainment, phone and device positioning strategies that encourage better posture, sleep positioning, and physical training with relevant exercises designed to strengthen postural muscles. The health care protocols would include asking text neck candidates to change their behavior. (“When I check my phone, I’ll always check my posture first”), and their work environment (smartphone stands to allow the user to elevate their neck).

This effort would also be appropriate for segments of our population long out of school but who are still at risk. Typically, office workers, professional gamers, and journalists would all benefit.

Failure to pursue these prevention policies now may well launch a medical crisis within two decades for a substantial part of our population who will likely overwhelm the medical community with their spinal issues and potentially create as much as a trillion dollar burden on the nation’s economy.  Unlike the race to create vaccines or exploring the potential role of AI in creating cures, the ability to straighten up and prevent this coming epidemic is within our immediate ability to help safeguard the future.  Now it’s a matter of will.

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