Use of computer, mobiles, TV not linked to headaches in teens

Use of computer games, mobile phones or television is not linked to the occurrence of headaches or migraines, at least not in adolescents, says a new study.

The study of 1025 13-17 year olds found no association between the use of electronic media and headaches.

However, listening to one or two hours of music every day was associated with a pounding head.

Astrid Milde-Busch, from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, and colleagues studied the links between exposure to electronics and the prevalence and type of headaches.

"Excessive use of electronic media is often reported to be associated with long-lasting adverse effects on health like obesity or lack of regular exercise, or unspecific symptoms like tiredness, stress, concentration difficulties and sleep disturbances," she said.

"Studies into the occurrence of headaches have had mixed results and for some types of media, in particular computer games, are completely lacking," she added.

The researchers interviewed 489 teenagers who claimed to suffer from headaches and 536 who said they did not.

When the two groups were compared, no associations were found for television viewing, electronic gaming, mobile phone usage or computer usage.

Daily consumption of music was significantly associated with suffering from any type of headache, although, as Milde-Busch points out, "It cannot be concluded whether the habit of listening to music is the cause of frequent headaches, or the consequence in the sense a self-therapy by relaxation".

The study has been published in the open access journal BMC Neurology.