A significant number (84%) of 18-24 year olds, dubbed the ‘iPosture generation' have admitted to suffering some incidence of back pain in the last 12 months, which experts have attributed to the rise in hand-held technology.
The poll of 3,000 UK adults, from Simplyhealth has shown "a nation on the point of a potential back pain epidemic" due to the rising use of new technology and a decline in the awareness of good posture and its role in pain prevention.
Meanwhile the average number of working days lost to back pain is higher for this age group than any other - 1.5 days more a year than those of their parents' generation.
Experts are warning that this new ‘iPosture generation' are developing bad habits that could lead to back pain problems in the future unless they take heed of good old-fashioned advice to sit-up straight and look after their posture.
The research showed that almost all age groups spend as much time in front of a PC, laptop or tablet screen in total as they do asleep in bed, some even more so.
A combination of work and home screen time (excluding traditional TV) means that over 55s spent an average of 6.64 hours a day (the least) versus a massive 8.83 hours a day in front of screen time for a typical 18-24 year old.
However, key differences seem to emerge when it comes to the different generations' use of technology.
Two thirds (67%) of 18-24 year olds agree they either slouch or hunch in front of their PC or other devices at work and almost half of this age group replicate this at home (49%).
However, their parents (45-54 year olds) are twice as likely to sit up straight at home, on a chair, with their PC or laptop in front of them.
Dr Brian Hammond, acting chief executive officer and chairman of BackCare, the national back pain charity, said; "The vast majority of people experience back pain in the lower back. However, this survey data shows that those in the 18-24 year old bracket are more than twice as likely to experience pain in the middle of the back, and more than three times more likely to have pain around the upper back and back of the neck.
"Slumping and hunching over computers and hand-held devices appears to be a contributory factor in the difference in types of back pain between the generations. Younger people are far more likely to be hunched over a device on a sofa, and would benefit from paying close attention to the basics of good posture."
