Proof of damage to looks could deter excessive use of smartphones

The contention that smartphones and tablets may be injurious to health has predictably had precious little effect on people, given the increasing prevalence of these gadgets. Carpal tunnel and eye problems, fears about radiation and worse — nothing has really put off people from their dinky handheld machines. But the argument that these devices can have an effect on personal appearances is a good new spin that could stop the narcissistic generation in mid-click and make them think. After all, the notion that technology causes premature ageing is not outré. As if people did not already have crows feet and laughter lines to worry about, recent studies aver that wrinkly tech necks are now possibly a bigger phenomenon than turkey necks.

Worse, judging by the rise in such neck-related problems among populations with high usage of these gizmos, the onset of this ailment is not hindered by age or diet. And eventually, the bent backs and hunched shoulders that go with the tech necks have the potential to make heavy users end up looking perilously akin to the fictional old crones of fairy tales way before their chronological age deems it necessary. While creams and other ‘treatments’ are on offer, surely, a better alternative is to embrace the life beyond gadgets, if only for aesthetic reasons.