July is national cellphone etiquette month — a time to recognize that there’s a better way to use cellphones/smartphones, one that won’t annoy others in the vicinity. While one of those etiquette rules includes putting down a device when in the company of others simply out of politeness, there is one other really good reason to put down that phone: a condition called “text neck.”

It’s a ridiculous phrase, text neck. It’s ridiculous that the condition exists, but there it is—the end result of spending way too much time, chin to chest, staring down into a tiny screen checking email, sending texts, surfing the Internet.

Text neck is a repetitive strain injury. The weight of a head is 10 to 12 pounds. The head supported by the neck muscles. For every inch a person drops their head forward, the load on those muscles is doubled. For a neck angled at 15 degrees, the weight is 27 pounds; at 30 degrees, it’s 40 pounds; at 45 degrees, 49 pounds; at 60 degrees, it’s 60 pounds. That’s one heavy head, and that heavy head can lead to muscle soreness, inflammation, muscle strain, pinched nerves, herniated disks and more. Studies have also linked the problem to decreased lung capacity, headaches, depression and other neurological issues.

Considering that the average smartphone user spends between 700 and 1,400 hours per year holding his or her head in just such a fashion, the condition is now becoming epidemic. It’s bad enough that adults are falling victim to it, but it’s more surprising that the condition is now being seen in pre-teens. Those pre-teens are setting themselves up for a lifetime of spinal issues by not paying attention to posture. Parents are setting their children up for a lifetime of spinal issues by not paying attention to their children’s posture.

Health care professionals aren’t telling people to give up their devices — many love their iPhones and Androids just as much as the next technology junkie. But what they are saying is to use the eyes, and not the neck, to look down. There’s no need to jut and tilt the head forward when all one has to do is shift the gaze.

The best way to prevent text neck is to simply be aware of where the head is in space and keep the chin up.