Working After-Hours On Laptops, Tablets Is Bad For You

A new study shows that “screen slaves” (people who work on laptops, tablets, and smartphones) are risking their health by continuing to work on these devices after hours.

Though it was recently confirmed that your cell phone probably isn’t giving you cancer, it can definitely screw up your back if you spends all day hunched over it, a tablet, or a laptop, reports BBC. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy says these environments contribute to back and neck pain, so you should learn to switch your devices off and go outside and play a little or something. Otherwise, you’re going to have some problems down the road.

Chairwoman Dr. Helena Johnson said that data from an online survey of 2,000 workers which found that 2/3rds of workers continue to work on electronic devices after hours, is troubling.

“While doing a bit of extra work at home may seem like a good short-term fix, if it becomes a regular part of your evening routine then it can lead to problems such as back and neck pain, as well as stress-related illness,” the good doctor continued, “This is especially the case if you’re using hand-held devices and not thinking about your posture. Talk to your employer if you are feeling under pressure.”

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Excessive work levels are not good for anyone. Overworked employees are not only unlikely to be performing well at work, the stress an unmanageable workload causes is also likely to be making them ill. By the time someone is so overloaded they constantly feel the need to put in extra hours every night of the week at home, things have clearly got out of hand. Individuals who find themselves unable to leave their work in the office should talk to their managers and learn to switch off their smartphones.”

This health report follows a similar one that showed people who work in offices spend about as much time sitting down as they do sleeping in bed at night, also contributing to health issues. “People don’t need a psychologist to tell them to get up and walk around. But if it helps, I’d tell them to put a post-it note on their computer to remind them,” said Dr. Myanna Duncan, from Loughborough University, “Go and talk to your colleagues face to face, it’s a lot more sociable and better for you than emailing them.”