An American study has shone a light on some of the smartphone-related accidents reported to emergency departments in the US over the last 20 years, which range from walking while texting to playing Pokemon Go.
From a sample of 2,501 US patients who presented head and neck injuries related to smartphone usage, the majority were found to involve 13 to 29-year-olds, at 37.6 per cent.
Research suggests that those in this age bracket were more likely to be injured during activities such as driving, walking and texting.
Playing augmented reality games such as Pokemon Go was one of the reasons some patients gave for their accidents.
The areas on the body where injuries were experienced most were the head, with 669 cases involving the face, eyelid, eye area and nose.
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Neck injuries were reported in 226 instances, while the eyeball clocked up 217.
The mouth – including lips, tongue and teeth – was an affected area for 145 patients.
Deep cuts and lacerations were reported 575 times.
“These findings suggest an opportunity for injury prevention through patient education about the dangers of using a cell phone while performing other activities,” researchers at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School said in their paper, published in the Jama Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery journal.
