The physical effects of our reliance on tech

How is technology shaping our bodies and health?

When I was living in New York City, I experienced a back injury that put me in twice weekly physical therapy. I’ve always been pretty terrible at following through with appointments, but the pain was so visceral, I really had no choice. My physical therapist, Mohammad, a native Egyptian who I grew quite fond of, had a gentle touch but gave firm directives. I was a little caught off guard when he told me, “ah yes, you have a hump growing on your back.”

“Excuse me?”

“You must stop looking at your phone all the damn time. You will be a hunchback before you turn 30.” I was 27 at the time. 

He gave me some exercises to do at home to help combat my “hump,” which I did off and on for a few months before life got in the way. Did I heed his voice to stop looking at my phone all the damn time? Au contraire, dear reader. 

I greatly miss Mohammad and his twice weekly honest assessments of my strength (or lack thereof), but I think I’d be pretty ashamed to see him today. 34 years old, and he would likely call me a hunchback. 

Poor posture is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ways technology is degrading our bodies. I knew generally that blue light exposure isn’t great, I’ve heard of the phrase “tech neck,” but I wanted to dive deeper to learn more about how our bodies are transforming as a result of our digital reliance. 

Posture

Source

Let’s start with my hump. The average person spends a whopping 4 hours and 37 minutes a day on their phone. It shouldn’t take much convincing to explain how this will deteriorate someone’s posture. So other than looking like a hunchback, how does poor posture affect our health? 

From NCBI, “Prolonged smart phone usage causes faulty posture such as forward neck posture, slouched posture, or rounded shoulders. Sustained forward neck posture can cause injury to the structure of the cervical and lumbar spine, as well as ligaments.These structural problems caused by faulty posture can also lead to respiratory dysfunction.” 

So we’re putting pressure on shoulders, neck, back, and even our lungs. Cool cool cool. 

Mayo Clinic expands on tech neck, “Looking down at electronic devices causes the neck muscles to strain and the shoulders to slump forward. Musculoskeletal fatigue and pressure on the nerve supply in the neck can cause pain in the neck, which also can cause referred pain in the arms and hands. Over time, staying in this position can increase the force and effort on your shoulders, neck and upper back muscles and put uneven pressure on your spine….Tech neck also can cause issues beyond your neck and shoulders. Extra spinal pressure in your neck can lead to mid and lower-back pain as well as headaches.”

Eye strain and vision loss

Something new I learned today – there’s a “computer vision syndrome.” The American Optometric Association outlines the symptoms of CVS:

• Eyestrain.

• Headaches.

• Blurred vision.

• Dry eyes.

• Neck and shoulder pain.

Then there’s the infamous “blue light.” Exposure to blue light actually can boost your mood and make you more alert. The problem occurs when you’re overexposed to blue light. It can severely disrupt your sleep. 

The American Academy of Ophthalmology does provide some reassurances: blue light and staring at our devices all day will not provide permanent eye damage, and most symptoms of use can be reversed. 

Weakness

When you spend hours a day on your phone, tablet, computer, or binging tv shows, there’s an opportunity cost. You could be doing countless other activities, most of which require you to use your body – running, walking, gardening, woodworking, volunteering, even working on neglected projects around the house. As we continue to tally of the hours in a sedentary position, our bodies become weaker. 

The Guardian shares the findings from a study that discovered “Children are becoming weaker, less muscular and unable to do physical tasks that previous generations found simple.”

Obesity

We’re not just losing our muscle mass. This new reliance on technology for entertainment has contributed to growing obesity rates. 

According to Bark, “children who spent more than 2 hours per day in front of a screen had a higher body mass index (BMI) compared to those who spent less time on screens” and “children who watched more than 2 hours of television per day were more likely to be overweight or obese compared to those who watched less television.”

This study explains it’s not just the sedentary activities leading to rising rates of obesity. It’s also the habits that happen while engaging in screen time – “Eating while viewing is one important way that screen media exposure increases children’s energy intake. Studies have revealed that children consume a large proportion of their daily calories and meals while watching screen media.”

Research often centers around children, but adults aren’t immune. If you’re avoiding an active lifestyle by doom scrolling (consciously or subconsciously), you are at risk. 

Cancer and heart disease

Where does this all lead? Not to be morbid, but according to the BBC, it leads to a “higher risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease.”

The article outlines the findings from a concerning study: “The researchers analysed the behaviour of 390,089 people from the UK Biobank. They found that higher levels of screen time were associated with a higher risk of "all-cause mortality" as well as a higher risk of both heart disease and cancer. The findings were independent of physical activity, grip strength, BMI, smoking, diet and other major confounding factors, including socio-economic status.”

In some ways, it sounds shocking to hear “excessive screen time can lead to cancer, heart disease, and death.” Yet, when you start connecting the dots, it doesn’t seem so surprising. If we’re trading in active movement, something our body needs, for sedentary scrolling, of course there will be consequences. 

A better way?

A lot of the sources I linked above provide countless ways to counter these effects: wear blue-light glasses, look into the distance every few minutes when staring at your laptop, ensure you’re using ergonomic chairs and be aware of your posture, etc - the list goes on. 

It’s a bit like Mohammad’s advice though. I can do all the extra exercises, I can stare into the distance, I can buy a $300 chair, but chances are, at least some of these physical effects will still plague me until I “stop looking at the phone all the damn time.”

PS: I know facts don’t change minds, but I urge you to think about your own body. In what ways can you identify changes that technology may have caused. We have one precious life here. Take care of yourself.

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Hi reader. In the coming weeks, I’m launching a new reader Q&A series. If you have a question about digital minimalism or starting your own journey to break free from the internet, shoot me a message at the link below.