Neurosurgeon Kenneth Hansraj calculated in a widely cited study on “text neck” that the effective load on your neck can reach over 27 kilos (roughly 60 lbs) when you bend forward 60 degrees to look at your phone. That’s about the weight of a toddler.
Sound familiar? The term “tech neck” (also called “text neck” or “smartphone neck”) has become the catch-all for the neck, shoulder, and back complaints that come from looking down at your phone too often. Below you’ll find what actually happens to your neck, what more recent research adds to the picture, and which changes really make a difference.
What exactly happens to your neck?
In a neutral position, your head weighs around 4.5 to 5.5 kilos (10-12 lbs). Hansraj calculated that every extra degree you tilt your head forward increases the effective load on your neck muscles and discs – up to that 27-kilo figure at 60 degrees, an angle many people adopt while texting.
“Tech neck” isn’t an official medical diagnosis. It’s an umbrella term for the complaints that result from holding your head tilted forward for long periods.
From Hansraj to 2025: what does more recent research say?
Hansraj published his calculation in 2014 in Surgical Technology International. It remains the most cited quantification of the problem. More recent research confirms the core finding. An editorial in the European Spine Journal (2025, with researchers from Rush University among others) calls tech neck a “silent pandemic”: teenagers now spend an average of 9 hours a day in front of a screen, and in children with neck complaints, a forward head tilt of 45 degrees or more was measured in every case studied. Worldwide, low back pain and neck pain are respectively the first and fourth leading causes of disability, with an estimated $134 billion in healthcare costs in the US alone.
The trend is measurable in the Netherlands too. The latest screen-work factsheet from the RSI Vereniging (2024) shows that 32% of employees who do screen-based work for 6 or more hours a day report neck complaints, and 45% experience RSI/KANS complaints in general. Nearly half (44%) of Dutch employees now spend 6+ hours a day in front of a screen. Research by Motivaction (2025) found that people in the Netherlands spend almost 9 hours a day in front of a screen on average, with Gen Z alone spending over 4 hours a day on their smartphone.
Symptoms of tech neck
- A stiff, tired neck, especially by the end of the day
- Pain between the shoulder blades
- Tension headaches
- Pain radiating to the shoulders, arms, or hands
- With intensive one-handed use: thumb or wrist complaints (“texting thumb”)
Tech neck versus neck complaints from screen work
If you spend a lot of time at a desk and don’t use your smartphone much, an incorrectly set up screen may be playing a bigger role than your phone. In that case, also read my article on neck complaints from working from home and the right screen height.
Do the complaints persist despite making changes? Don’t wait too long and get in touch with a physiotherapist, Mensendieck therapist, or occupational therapist or ergonomist. As with RSI/KANS: the sooner you address complaints, the easier they are to resolve.
7 tips to prevent tech neck
The good news: tech neck can usually be prevented without drastically changing how you use your phone.
1. Lift your phone up, don’t drop your head down
Hold your phone closer to eye level instead of letting your head drop. Rest your elbows on a table, your legs, or a pillow on your lap – it makes a real difference to the angle your neck has to make.
2. Build in conscious breaks
Look up and straighten your neck every few minutes. A short break makes more difference than you’d think, precisely because the strain from tech neck mainly builds up from sustained load.
3. Use two hands and switch sides
Typing and scrolling with both thumbs (or alternating left/right) prevents one-sided overload of the wrist and thumb – the same repetitive strain that also plays a role in RSI/KANS.
4. Do a few neck exercises every day
Chin tucks (pulling your chin straight back, as if making a double chin) and slow neck rotations help strengthen the muscles that keep your head upright. Do this a few times a day, for example during a break.
5. Watch your sitting posture while scrolling too
Slouching on the couch while scrolling often combines a forward-tilted neck with a rounded back. My 8 tips for a better sitting posture apply just as much – maybe even more – outside working hours!
6. Call or use voice messages instead of long chat sessions
For short messages it hardly matters, but for long typing sessions, calling (without wedging the phone between your ear and shoulder!) or sending a voice message is a simple way to reduce the sustained load.
7. Build strength in your neck and upper back
Stronger neck and upper back muscles make it easier to hold your head upright, even when you’re not paying attention. Exercises like rows and scapula exercises (pulling your shoulder blades together) help with this.
Just as important as building strength is keeping your chest and shoulder muscles flexible. Keep working on your flexibility too – yoga or Pilates are ideal for this.