Screen habits are raising new concerns for young people as spine surgeon warns that hours spent looking down at phones can lead to long‑term strain.

According to a recent study, the average American spends about 12.5 hours a day in front of screens, including around five hours on a smartphone or tablet.

Dr. Michael Gerling, founder and chief surgeon of the Gerling Institute, is sending a warning to kids and teens that hours of liking and swiping can really affect them physically.

“The problem with young people is that they are developing a pattern that they are going to have as a habit for the rest of their life,” says Gerling, an orthopedic and spine surgeon with offices in New York and New Jersey.

Because of this, Gerling has created a six-week curriculum to get your neck in check when looking at your tech.

“It is quite rare for people to actually hold their phones in a neutral position in front of their body where they can have their body in a stable, sustainable position.”

“The concept is to try and introduce on a more broader, impactful scale … some intervention that will help people try to curb their postural habits,” says Gerling.

In his course, he has a multitude of tips to prevent neck and spine pain long-term from looking at phones or tablets the wrong way.

“What we wanted to do is teach them exercises that would strengthen and reinforce the position of their neck,” says Gerling. “Some of those exercises are really easy to learn. For example, angel stretching and other types of neck tuck exercises to strengthen the neck.”

Other than movement and exercise, Dr. Gerling’s course goes over tips on setting up your workspace tools to change your tech habits before you even pick up your phone or tablet.

For more information on the Gerling Institute, click here.