Forward head posture ("tech neck"): causes and how to fix it
Forward head posture — your head drifting in front of your shoulders as you focus on a screen — is what people mean by "tech neck". Here is what it is, what the research associates it with, and what helps.
What forward head posture is
In a neutral position your ears sit roughly over your shoulders. Forward head posture is when the head translates forward of that line — the chin jutting toward the screen — and stays there while you work.
Why screen work causes it
One half of it is the screen. A display that sits too low puts your head, neck and shoulders into awkward postures — your head tips down and forward to meet it. []
The other half is attention — and that half is our own reasoning rather than a finding: we take it that the drift happens while your attention is on the screen, which is the assumption this guide is written on and not something the sources here establish.
It is common: nearly half of office workers report neck pain within a year, and that risk is associated with prolonged forward-bent neck posture and sitting. []
How to fix it
Raise the screen so its top edge sits at or just below eye level, and sit back into the chair, so neutral is the comfortable default rather than constant effort. []
Do a "chin tuck" reset a few times a day: gently draw the chin straight back (making a slight double chin), stacking the head back over the shoulders.
Take short, regular breaks with a change of posture — they can ease desk discomfort, with no adverse effect on productivity found in the trials. [] — What to do in a microbreak
Get a nudge when you drift, rather than relying on catching it yourself mid-task.
That you cannot notice the forward drift for yourself while you are focused is the premise UpSensei is built on — ours, not a finding from the sources above, and the reason it watches continuously.