Mobile phones causing cuts, bruising, organ damage and concussion, first major study shows

Thousands of Britons may have suffered serious cuts, bruising, organ damage and concussion because of their mobile phone, the first analysis of injuries has shown.

Researchers at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School looked at the results from 100 hospitals across the US dating back to 1998 and found 2,501 patients needed hospital treatment.

If extrapolated to the whole country, the study estimates that more than 76,000 people in the US  required medical help because of their phones over the 20 years study period.

Around 94 per cent of people in Britain now owns a mobile phone, and 95 per cent of people in the US, so the prevalence of injuries is expected to be broadly similar.

If the findings were replicated in the UK, it could amount to around 15,000 people needing treatment in the same timeframe.

Researchers found that most of the injuries occurred because people were distracted while looking at their phones, such as texting while walking.

Head injuries were the most common, with the study estimating that nearly 40,000 people in the US needed hospital treatment for cuts and bruising, 13,900 suffered internal organ injury, 5,800 sprained a limb, and 2,570 got concussion. A further 2,200 needed treatment for a foreign body and 2,100 for a fracture.

Writing in the journal Jama Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Dr Boris Paskhover, a head and neck consultant at Rutgers said: “Cell-phone related injuries to the head and neck have increased steeply over the recent 20 year periof, with many cases resulting from distraction.

“Most of these injuries occurred among those aged 13 to 29 years and were associated with common activities, such as texting while walking.

“These findings suggest a need for patient education about injury prevention and the dangers of activity whilst using these devices. As we become more reliant on these devices, it is important to understand the risks associated with their use.”

The analysis showed that younger people between 13 and 29 accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all injuries, and were nearly four times more likely to need treatment than the over 50s.

Women were also slightly more likely to get hurt making up 56 per cent of casualties.

Homes were found to be the most dangerous locations for a phone injury, with 40 per cent of accidents happening in people’s own houses and flats. Just 17 per cent of mishaps occurred on the street, and only 1.3 per cent in schools.

The extrapolated figures show that one in five injuries happened because people were distracted, with 5090 cases occurring while people were texting and walking. 90 of those people were playing Pokemon Go. And more more than 8,000 people damaged their eyeball.