Backache is striking us younger than ever – with almost half of the under-30s saying they are battling constant pain . Experts blame increasingly sedentary lifestyles and an obsession with mobile phones for a sharp rise in the number of young people with back and neck problems . And they warn that children as young as 12 are seeking treatment . As gadgets get smaller , users lean over them more , putting the neck and shock-absorbing discs that cushion the vertebrae under added pressure . Some 45 per cent of the under-30s surveyed for the British Chiropractic Association said they had a painful back or neck – up from 28 per cent last year . Across all age groups , 86 per cent said it was a problem – compared with 77 per cent last year . Almost one in four said that they are in pain on a daily basis . Chiropractors blame the increase on days and nights spent sitting hunched over mobile phones and tablet computers . Rishi Loatey , a chiropractor in North-West London , sees patients who are still at school , including some as young as 12 . He said working on laptops and tablets rather than desktop computers , as well as using mobile phones , can affect posture and put the back under extra strain . As gadgets get smaller , users lean over them more , putting the neck and shock-absorbing discs that cushion the vertebrae under added pressure . The fashion for hot-desking , in which office workers do n't have an assigned desk of their own , adds to the problem because the chair is not adjusted to suit them . The survey of more than 2,100 Britons aged 16-plus also revealed just how sedentary modern life is . Almost two-thirds said they spend most of their working day sitting . And the average Briton spends almost three hours in front of the TV each evening . In all , we typically spend ten hours a day sitting . Chiropractor Tim Hutchful of the BCA said : 'We 're seeing a rise in the number of people experiencing back and neck-related problems because our modern lifestyle is forcing us to stay seated and I 'm concerned that the number of patients under the age of 30 coming through our doors is increasing . 'Whether at your desk , on your tablet or watching TV , it 's really important to take breaks to relieve the build-up of tension in your back . '
more than 2,100 of under 30s surveyed said they had painful back or neck . Survey by British Chiropractic Association showed a 28 per cent yearly rise . As gadgets get smaller , users lean over them adding pressure on the neck .