What Is 'Text Neck' and How Do You Avoid It?

The short answerText neck is a popular name, not a medical diagnosis, for the head-down phone posture and the stiff or achy neck some people notice after long spells of it. Looking down makes your neck muscles work harder, but studies on whether it causes neck pain are mixed. Small habits cut down how far, and for how long, you bend your head: lift your phone a little, lower your eyes rather than your head, and take breaks. Research hasn't yet shown whether they change neck pain, but they're free and easy to try, alongside staying active. If neck pain lingers or worries you, see a doctor or a registered physiotherapist.

The MRT doors slide shut, you find a spot by the pole, and out comes your phone. By your stop, you've cleared the family WhatsApp group, chin pointing at your chest. Later, at the kopitiam, the phone lies flat beside your kopi-O and you lean over it again.

In MCMC's Hand Phone Users Survey 2021, an online poll of 1,916 Malaysian phone users carried out between April and August 2021, 41.6% said they used their phones on public transport. If your neck feels stiff by evening, you might blame all that looking down, which people online call text neck. Here's what the research shows, and what you can try.

1. What people mean by 'text neck'

Text neck is an everyday label for the head-down posture of looking at a phone or tablet, and for the stiffness or aching some people feel in the neck and shoulders after a long stretch of it. It's also called "tech neck". Chinese speakers have a light-hearted name for people always looking down at screens: the heads-down crowd (低头族). Because the term covers the posture as well as the ache, avoiding text neck really means spending less time with your head bent far forward.

Text neck is not a formal medical diagnosis. It describes a posture and a feeling, not a disease, and it can't tell you what's behind a sore neck. A doctor or physiotherapist will ask about much more than your phone, from your work to past injuries.

2. What looking down does to your neck

An adult head weighs roughly 4.5 to 5.5 kg (10 to 12 pounds, the figure used in a 2014 paper on neck posture), about the same as a 5 kg bag of rice. When you sit or stand tall, that weight sits on top of your spine. As you bend forward, it moves out in front, and the muscles at the back of your neck must pull harder to hold it. The further you bend, the harder they work.

How far do people actually bend? In a 2015 lab study in Korea, researchers measured the head angle of 18 people using smartphones. Depending on the task and whether they sat or stood, the typical head tilt was about 33 to 45 degrees forward from upright. The bend was biggest while texting, and bigger sitting than standing. So your deepest dip may come while texting at the kopitiam.

You may have seen the claim that your head "weighs 27 kg" when you look down at your phone. That number comes from the same 2014 paper, by a US spine surgeon, who used a model of the neck to estimate the load at different head angles, with about 27 kg at a 60-degree tilt. It's an estimate from a model, not a measurement taken in people, and the paper did not show that this load causes pain.

3. Does text neck really cause neck pain?

The research points both ways.

• Some studies find a link. A 2017 review that looked at 15 studies of people who use mobile devices found neck discomfort was the most common complaint, reported by about 17% to 68% of users, depending on the study. It found some evidence linking a bent neck, texting, frequent phone calls and gaming with aches and pains in the muscles and joints, not only the neck. Whether total time on the device mattered was still unclear.
• Others don't. A 2018 study of 150 young adults aged 18 to 21 in Brazil rated each person's neck posture while texting, using the person's own view and physiotherapists' judgement. Neither rating was linked with neck pain, or with how often it came on.

Many of these studies are snapshots in time, so they can show that two things go together, not that one causes the other.

So is phone neck pain real? Plenty of people notice a stiff neck after a long session hunched over a screen, and that's worth listening to. Whether years of texting lead to lasting neck problems is far less clear. Neck pain is common in adults, and many things can play a part. There's no need to fear your phone. Just notice how you use it.

4. Can you avoid text neck? Easy habits for the train, the kopitiam and WhatsApp

You can't always avoid a stiff neck, and no habit can promise you'll never get one. But you can cut down how far, and how long, you look down.

• Bring the phone up a little. At the kopitiam, rest your elbows on the table and hold the phone up instead of reading it flat. On the train, hold it nearer chest height than your lap, keeping one hand on the grab handle if you're standing.
• Lower your eyes, not your whole head. You can often read a screen by dropping your gaze with a slight nod, rather than bending your neck right down.
• Look up at every station. Each time the doors open, lift your head and let your shoulders relax. At the kopitiam, put the phone down when the food arrives.
• Change position. Shift how you sit or stand, or swap hands. No posture is perfect, so just don't stay in one for too long.
• Talk instead of type. Heads tend to bend most while texting, so for a long WhatsApp reply, try a voice note or a quick call instead.

Research hasn't yet shown whether habits like these prevent or ease neck pain, so try them and keep the ones that feel comfortable. Breaks may be worth it, though: in a small 2016 study in Korea of 34 adults who already held their heads forward, neck and shoulder pain rose after using a smartphone, and rose more after 30 minutes than after 10.

If Mum or Dad scrolls on the sofa every evening, share a friendly "lift the phone, lower your eyes".

5. Beyond text neck: stay active and build strength

• Keep moving in ways you enjoy. A brisk walk around the taman, a swim, badminton with friends or tai chi in the park all count. If you're also thinking about your knees, our guide to exercises that are kind to ageing knees covers walking, swimming, cycling and tai chi.
• Build strength, with guidance. For neck pain that lingers, a 2015 Cochrane review of 27 trials on exercise for neck pain found moderate-quality evidence that exercises to strengthen the neck, shoulders and upper back may ease pain, mostly right after a programme and for a few months afterwards. Some programmes that combined strengthening and stretching also made everyday activities easier. Low-quality evidence suggested stretching alone may not help, and with no high-quality evidence, some uncertainty remains. A registered physiotherapist can show you exercises that suit you.
• Go gently. Stop if pain sharply worsens. Check with your doctor first if you have a heart or other health condition.

6. If your neck still hurts: the full range of options

A 2017 review of neck pain in the BMJ noted that most new bouts of neck pain settle on their own. Even so, more than a third of people who get it still have mild symptoms or flare-ups over a year later. If your neck pain lingers, keeps coming back or simply worries you, see a doctor, a registered physiotherapist or your nearest government klinik kesihatan.

Among the complementary, non-drug treatments the review looked at, exercise had more research support than the others. Depending on the cause, your doctor may also suggest physiotherapy, medicines or, for some specific conditions, injections or surgery. You and your doctor decide together what fits you.

The bottom line

Text neck is a popular name, not a formal diagnosis, and research on whether phone posture causes lasting neck pain is mixed. Small habits cut down how far and how long you bend your head: lift the phone a little, lower your eyes, look up at every station and send a voice note instead of typing. They cost nothing, even though research hasn't yet shown whether they change neck pain. Keep active in ways you enjoy, and next time you're on the train, notice where your chin is pointing. If neck pain lingers or worries you, a doctor or registered physiotherapist can help you look at the full range of options, from exercise and physiotherapy to medicines, injections or surgery where needed.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Please see a doctor or physiotherapist about your own symptoms.

If you're in your 50s or older, or caring for a parent who is, regular check-ups with a healthcare professional are a good habit, even when nothing hurts.

References

1. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Hand Phone Users Survey 2021. Cyberjaya: MCMC; 2021.
2. Hansraj KK. Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture and position of the head. Surg Technol Int. 2014.
3. Lee S, Kang H, Shin G. Head flexion angle while using a smartphone. Ergonomics. 2015.
4. Xie Y, Szeto G, Dai J. Prevalence and risk factors associated with musculoskeletal complaints among users of mobile handheld devices: a systematic review. Appl Ergon. 2017.
5. Damasceno GM, Ferreira AS, Nogueira LAC, et al. Text neck and neck pain in 18-21-year-old young adults. Eur Spine J. 2018.
6. Cohen SP, Hooten WM. Advances in the diagnosis and management of neck pain. BMJ. 2017.
7. Kim SY, Koo SJ. Effect of duration of smartphone use on muscle fatigue and pain caused by forward head posture in adults. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016.
8. Gross A, Kay TM, Paquin JP, et al. Exercises for mechanical neck disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015.

Source consulted: a Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials article on "tech neck" (November 2025).