Injuries from cellphone use are on the rise

We’re more glued to our cellphones than ever, so it may be unsurprising that we’re also suffering more injuries from using these devices. Looking at data between 1998 and 2017, researchers found that the rate of cellphone-associated injuries over the study period went from less than 5 per million people to about 28 per million. Roughly a third of the injuries were on the head and face area, including the eyes and nose, and the most common diagnosis across all injuries was a laceration. Nearly 1 in 5 of the injuries was because people were distracted when on their phones — including while driving or walking. Those aged 13-29 were most likely to sustain injury from being distracted, while those younger than 13 were likelier to suffer a direct hit from the device.