Young people may be developing horn-like bumps on the back of their skulls due to the extended use of technology such as smartphones and tablets, according to a study out of Australia.

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– News from elsewhere covered by Quincy Quarry News.

Researchers link smartphones to horn-like bumps on young people’s skulls.

Young people may be developing horn-like bumps on the back of their skulls due to the extended use of technology like smartphones and tablets, according to a study published over three years that flew under the radar until recently.

Two researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia made the bizarre discovery while examining 218 X-rays of people aged between the ages of 18 and 30.

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The researchers found that over 40 percent of those reviewed had developed a spur at the base of their skulls.

Those who have the horn-like bone spur can probably feel it by reaching a hand around to the lower rear of the skull.

These kinds of spurs are normally seen in hunched-over elderly people and result from long-term poor posture and significant stress loads on their bones.

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But this research found that people aged 18 to 30 were much more likely to have the protrusions than people in their 30’s, 40’s or even in their 50’s.

As we hunch over smartphones and tablets, we crane our necks and hold our heads forward.

This is problematic because the average head weighs around 10 pounds, about as much as a large watermelon, one of the researchers told the BBC last week, and unnatural posture spurs the bone spur.

This  – in turn –  is what finally sparked widespread interest in the research team’s findings.

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Researchers say the phenomenon was more prevalent among men than among women.  They suspect men are more likely to use their devices for longer periods of time for activities like gaming or sports events whereas women are more likely to use them for shorter social activities.

The answer is not necessarily swearing off technology, but it was suggested that everyone who uses technology during the day should, for example, opt to re-calibrate their posture at night.

Source: Researchers Link Smartphones To Bizarre Horn-Like Bumps On Young People’s Skulls 

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