The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association have jointly conducted a study on the health effects of using smartphones and portable electronic devices among Hong Kong people. Results showed that, out of the 1,049 people surveyed, 70% of adults and 30% of children and adolescents have reported musculoskeletal symptoms in different parts of the body in relation to the use of electronic devices.

In recent years, various kinds of consumer electronics have become increasingly popular in Hong Kong. It is not surprising that the sales of smartphones in Hong Kong are among the highest in the world and the habits of using electronic devices are changing rapidly. Smartphones have become an indispensable communication tool in our everyday life and many people keep their phones turned on around the clock. In addition, people are obsessed with playing electronic games which is a common phenomenon in public places such as on buses and MTR, and this is widely known as "bow head tribe."

Spanned over three years, the joint study involving both adults and school children aimed at examining their time spent on using various IT products, the tasks performed and postures adopted in their daily use. The relationship between the use of electronic devices and the development of musculoskeletal symptoms is a major focus of this study. Participants were asked to report any related physical problems, such as neck pain, shoulder pain, and wrist and hand pain symptoms.

The first phase of the survey was conducted in 2011-2012 involving a total of 465 adults aged between 18 to 50 years old. 221 persons were full-time workers and 244 were college students, all. Among them, 90% were daily smartphone users, 74% used desktop computers, 61% laptop computers, and 35% used tablet computers. 70% of