Touch screen ruins a child's hand muscles

(Children, toddlers) - Toddlers who use tablets (tablets) or smartphones (smartphones) may have problems using their hands and fingers, experts warn.

When children use a touchscreen, their bodies have not developed the muscles needed to write - this means they have reduced muscle strength.

When the touch screens are new, no one knows what possible health consequences are.

New guidelines suggest that young children need to be banned from using all types of tablets and smartphones.

Parents who let their young children play with the iPad can hurt their hands and fingers, experts warned.

Occupational therapist Lindsay Marzoli said that long-term screen exposure will cause long-term damage to babies.

Ms. Marzoli of Learning and Therapy Corner in Maryland, USA, told CBS Local: 'If babies regularly use iPads and don't really work with paper and pencil, they should still be using them, Their arm muscles and fingers will be weaker. This is something that we are seeing in many children with muscle growth retardation, which decreases muscle strength in these areas. '

Experts say the problem is that the technology is still too new and researchers do not know what damage can occur in the long term.

Dr. Timothy Doran of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, told CBS Local: 'Unlimited use, for kids to use their own iPad 3 to 4 hours without parental intervention, for me it is That means you are joking with the dangers of increasing '.

New guidelines from the American Academy of Paediatrics recommend that children should not use touch screens more than 2 hours a day.

They also said that babies under 2 should not be exposed to the touch screen.

Finally, the guidelines suggest that televisions, tablets and computers need to be kept away from children's rooms.

This study is not the first time to give a warning about excessive use of the screen, which could be harmful to children's health.

Lindsay Marzoli said, using the touch screen makes kids not develop muscle strength like when writing pens.

The study, commissioned by Abertawe Bro University Morgannwg University Health Board, said children face neck and back pain from using computers, video games and smartphones.

The study showed that nearly three-quarters of primary school students, and two-thirds of junior high school students, reported back pain and neck pain last year.

Physiotherapist Lorna Taylor said: 'Modern lifestyles and technological developments are having adverse health effects on the bones and joints of our children, if not informed in school and At home, these influences will have a greater impact on our children, the future generation of workers and society. "

'It is essential, we encourage good habits and provide resources so that children can be comfortable, able to focus, reach their full potential and work, play sports like they choose, and are not limited by preventable defects and a life in pain '.