Kids Are No Joke Growing Horns From Excessive Phone Usage

This seems the stuff of folklore - like when our parents used to tell us we'd get square eyes from watching too much TV. But this is real. Kids are developing horns in the back of their skulls due to the overuse of smartphones and tablets, according to two Australian researchers. 

Dr David Shahar and Associate Professor Mark Sayers at The University of the Sunshine Coast made the discovery while examining hundreds of X-rays of people aged between 18 and 30, finding almost half had developed bone growths.

The Ghastly 'Text Neck' 

These "horn-like" skull growths are normally seen in hunched-over elderly people with long-term poor posture problems and high stress loads on their bones.

But because we are constantly hunched over screens, we crane our necks and hold our heads forward far too much throughout the day. 

The bony lumps range in size from 10 to 30 millimetres and aren't exactly visible from the outside of the head  - so you can get the thorny devil image out of your mind! Although it's likely that you will be able to feel it with your fingers – or if you’re bald, it may be visible from behind.

The spike-like feature is also known as the “external occipital protuberance” and we can only expect the freak occurrence to become less freak, and more, well, common. 

The findings were actually discovered two years ago but went relatively unnoticed until the BBC picked up the story this week (maybe they needed a more click-baity title like we used?!)

Scary stuff. Time to Unplug and Play??

More New Research For Parents

Kids Who Nap In The Day Are Smarter
Toddlers Engage More With Print Books Than eBooks
Many People Want A ‘Sleep Divorce’ From Their Partner

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