The excess of screens among adolescents has caused a higher frequency of back pain and may even be associated with the increase in precocious puberty among children. Research published in the scientific journal Healthcare and funded by the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) evaluated 1,628 students aged between 14 and 18 yearsfrom the city of Bauru, in the interior of São Paulo.
According to the authors, 38.4% had back pain during the answers to the first questionnaire. In the following year, another 10.1% reported the onset of this type of pain, especially among younger people.
The survey pointed out that pain occurs more among girls due to greater demand for support for musculoskeletal pain, greater exposure to physical, psychosocial and stress factors, in addition to having less strength than men, according to Alberto de Vitta, doctor in education by Unicamp.
This type of pain, it is estimated, affects between 15% to 35% of adults in the world, while it may be between 13% and 35% of young people. The pandemic is among one of the factors for the increase in this type of pain, and it is also possible to point out the increasing use of screens – the average time is considered to be between 3 and 7 hours a day. Global postural re-education, pilates and physiotherapy are some of the ways to solve the pain.
In parallel, there are reports of an increasing precocious puberty —a phase that should start between the ages of 8 and 9. Weight gain, excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle are among the main causes, alongside the use of screens, which in excess reduce the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep.
With this, hormone production in general can be affected, causing stress, weight gain and other factors that advance puberty. In that case, the idea is to maintain a healthy routine with moderate use of screens, less than 3 hours a day.