Walking while texting can be dangerous, researchers find
By
Mallika Marshall, MD
/ CBS Boston
BOSTON - Walking may not be so healthy if you text while doing it.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia had 50 college students navigate a slippery tiled walkway. They found that those who texted while walking were more likely to fall. And even if they didn't slip, their texting accuracy was worse while walking than while sitting.
The scientists said putting up warning signs probably won't work for young people who take risks and will continue to text even if they know it's hazardous. But, they said, perhaps phones should have a screen lock mechanism that engages when it senses the user is walking.
Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.