As a massage therapist, I have spent many years working with adults who come to me with neck pain, rounded shoulders, forward-head posture and significant tension through the neck and upper back.
But lately, something else has gotten my attention:
I am seeing these postural patterns in younger people.
Think about how much time our children spend looking down.
They look down at a phone. They sit on the couch with a device in their lap. They lie across the bed watching videos or playing games. Then they go to school and may spend even more time using a Chromebook or computer.
For many children, this position is repeated for hours, every day!
What happens when a child constantly looks down?
The human body was designed to move, not to remain in one position for hours. When a child holds a phone or tablet low in the lap, the head moves forward and the neck stays flexed while the shoulders may begin to round. Over time, this prolonged position can contribute to muscular fatigue, tension and discomfort through areas such as the neck, shoulders and upper back. Research on children and adolescents has found an association between prolonged cell phone use and neck pain. Researchers have also observed that smaller electronic devices tend to encourage greater neck flexion.
That does not mean every child who uses a tablet is going to develop a spinal deformity. It does mean that parents should start paying attention to posture much earlier than we used to.
What parents should watch for:
How much screen time are they getting? What position is their body in during that screen time? Watch your child from the side. Is the tablet lying in their lap? Is their chin constantly pointed toward their chest? Is their head sitting well in front of their shoulders? Are their shoulders rounded? Are they spending long periods hunched over on the couch, bed or floor? Do they complain about their neck, shoulders, upper back or headaches?
Those are things worth noticing!
Small Changes Parents Can Make Now
Instead of allowing a child to spend hours looking down into their lap, bring the device up toward a more neutral viewing position.
Create a designated place for tablets, computers and homework instead of letting the bed or couch become the child's workstation.
Make sure their chair and desk actually fit their body and support their feet. Position the screen so they don't have to continually bend their neck to see it.
Most importantly, get them moving.
Screen breaks don't have to be complicated. Stand up, walk around, stretch, and go outside. Move the shoulders and change positions.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends regular breaks during prolonged computer use and advises parents to pay attention to workstation setup because prolonged slumped positions can create muscular strain and tension in a child's neck and back.
What I Do as a Massage Therapist
When a younger client comes to me with significant tension or postural changes around the neck and upper back, I pay attention to the cervical and upper thoracic region, shoulders, surrounding musculature and areas of restriction. Depending on the individual client, gentle massage and mobility focused work may be used to address muscular tension and help improve comfortable movement.
Massage can be a wonderful part of supporting the musculoskeletal system, but massage does not diagnose or correct a structural spinal deformity.
If I see a significant curvature in a child, particularly one that appears pronounced or is getting worse, I believe that child should also be evaluated by their pediatrician and, when appropriate, a pediatric orthopedic specialist or physical therapist.
Prevention Starts Earlier Than We Think
When I work on adults in their 50s, 60s and 70s who struggle with neck and upper back discomfort, I often think about how many years it took for some of those movement and postural habits to develop. Now we have a generation of children who have had tablets and smartphones in their hands almost from the beginning. Technology isn't going away, nor does it need to.
But we can teach our children how to use it differently!
Parents, look at your child tonight when they're on their phone or tablet. Don't just look at the screen. Look at their neck, their shoulders and their posture.The habits they're developing at 10, 12 or 15 years old may follow them for decades.
Teaching healthy movement, regular breaks and better screen positioning now is much easier than trying to address years of accumulated discomfort later.
Because taking care of your body today changes how you live tomorrow-Lucinda
