Video games, tablets and smartphones are 'a back injury time bomb' for children who are increasingly sedentary, study warns.

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Youngsters face a 'healthcare time bomb' of neck and back pain linked to the use of computers, video games and smartphones, new research warns.
Nearly three quarters of primary school children and nearly two thirds of secondary school age children have reported back or neck pain in the past year, a study found.
The findings, drawn from a questionnaire-based study, underline growing concern that excessive use of games consoles, smartphones and tablets could be wreaking havoc on growing bodies.

Sit up straight! Youngsters face a 'healthcare time bomb' of neck and back pain linked to the use of computers, video games and smartphones, new research warns

The study was commissioned by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board after it found that the number of children treated for back and neck pain had doubled in just six months.
Researchers who questioned 204 children aged between seven and 18 found that 64 per cent of secondary school age pupils reported suffering back problems, but 90 per cent said they had not told anyone about them.
Seventy-two per cent of primary school age children admitted they had suffered back pain.

'It's vital we instil good habits': Lorna Taylor, a physiotherapist, said modern lifestyles and increasing use of technology were at fault

Physiotherapist Lorna Taylor said: 'Modern lifestyles and the increase in technology are having detrimental effects on our children’s musculoskeletal health and, if not addressed in school and at home now, will have far reaching effects for our children, the future working generation and society.
'It's vital we instil good habits and provide resources so children can be comfortable, be able to concentrate, reach their full potential and work and play sport as they decide, and not be limited by preventable disability and a life in pain.'
The ABMU study is not the first to have warned that a sedentary lifestyle poses risks to the health of young people's backs.
According to a study by the British Chiropractic Association, 45 per cent of children had suffered back pain by the time they were 11 years old.
Adam al-Kashi, head of research and education at the charity BackCare, told the Daily Telegraph: 'There are many pluses to modern life and technology, but the darker side is how it divorces us from the need to use our bodies and exert ourselves physically.
'We are now living dangerously convenient lifestyles where you don't even have to move to exist.'

Publication of the ABMU research coincides with the launch of a new e-learning tool, called Healthy Working MOVE, which teaches children correct posture and other ways to utilise technology correctly and safely.

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