On Tue, 3 Dec 2013, Petros <Petros.Listig@fdrive.com.au> wrote:

I have kids which have to use iPads.

I see them crouching over the tablets and it looks very unhealthy.

I learnt something about desktop ergonomics but do you know about healthy posture, usage pattern and other issues related to use them properly?

http://etbe.coker.com.au/2013/02/11/phone-tablet-sizes/ I think that in most cases the best ergonomics for a tablet requires that it be held with two hands such that any part of the screen can be touched. In the above blog post I estimated the ages of children who could use various devices in such a manner. A 7" tablet should be good for a 14yo boy or 17yo girl, a Galaxy Note should be good as a tablet for a 10yo and a Galaxy S3 should be good for a 6yo. If you are going to give a 7" tablet to a pre-teen child or a 10" tablet to anyone then the plan has to be for them to use a table for any long-term use. Then the same ergonomic issues apply as for using a table (and there is a lot of debate about that).

Anyway, some ideas about ergonomics would be helpful. I think we are raising cripples if I look at them.

When I was young people worried that their children would have eye problems from watching too much TV. That didn't happen. While there are issues I don't think it's going to be a really serious problem. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/

On Tue, 3 Dec 2013 01:54:39 PM Petros wrote:

Hi,

I have kids which have to use iPads.

I see them crouching over the tablets and it looks very unhealthy.

I learnt something about desktop ergonomics but do you know about healthy posture, usage pattern and other issues related to use them properly?

I am unhappy with it from back to front in many ways. I don't think there was any critical thinking in the decisions made, some of the "selling points" to the parents are coming straight from the Apple website..

Anyway, some ideas about ergonomics would be helpful. I think we are raising cripples if I look at them.

Do you know any?

Thanks Peter

Hi Peter, I used to have really bad lower back pain and terrible posture when sitting and standing. I took up heavy weight training and a big part of that was strengthening core muscles. So basically sucking abdominal muscles in if you're sitting down, standing up, whatever. Especially when you're lifting something. Initially, good posture for me was hard and I'd start hurting and tiring right away (this is without weights) especially when sitting at the computer. I did a lot of work on my abdominal strength, lower back and core (doing planks for the latter specifically) and now my posture is really good and my back pain completely gone. I'm not suggesting weight training for your children specifically but I recommend exercises. I wish I had looked after my back and posture when I was young, I certainly paid for it later on! There are lots of websites out there, some by occupational therapists and chiropractors, who have suggestions about exercises. My personal feeling is that even the most fantastic space age superduper (and mostly likely super expensive) ergonomic chair and desk will be pretty pointless (or certainly less effective) if the person using it doesn't work on their body too. Faye