Addiction to digital gadgets may be causing headaches among children, say doctors

Bengaluru: Childhood headache is becoming an increasingly common complaint and is being reported among 6 to 12 -year- olds today, say city doctors, who believe one of the reasons could be their addiction to digital gadgets and the resulting strain on the eyes.

“Nearly 80 to 90 per cent of children are now experiencing headaches by 15 years of age and it may start as early as the age of four,” said Dr. Kishore Kotha, consultant paediatric neurologist, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital.

Dr. Prashanth, a senior consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road too says that headaches have become common among children these days, right from pre-school to adolescence. While migraines are mostly hereditary and occur with increasing age, especially in children below 10, tension headaches can be caused by children spending several hours on digital devices, and straining their eyes, he says.

“Lifestyle habits, unpleasant smell, over-exposure to heat and dehydration are the major causes for tension headaches,” explained Dr Prashanth, advising that if the headache is accompanied by vomiting, body weakness or sleeplessness, parents must take the child to the doctor.

Dr Kotha too explains that diet and lifestyle can cause headaches among children in addition to genetic predisposition, infection, trauma, intracranial mass, metabolic or vascular disease and sinusitis.

Doctors also warn that hormones, stress, and medications too can cause headaches and if they are recurrent, they may cause the children problems at school, and trigger behavioural problems and/or depression.