Smartphone addiction among teenagers is now a very common and serious problem as these youngsters aren’t monitored when they are given full access to these devices. This can cause health issues including eye problems, focus issues and even damage to the brain!
A 13-year-old boy from Zhejiang, China was given his first mobile phone at the beginning of this year by his mother. She had bought it for him as a gift so they could stay in contact as she and her husband were often busy at work.
According to Oriental Daily, the boy played with the phone almost constantly every day and night, sometimes right up until midnight! And since he got the phone at the beginning of the year, he must’ve practiced this bad habit for a few months, which unfortunately led to some very serious health problems.
About a month ago, the boy was at school when he suddenly went crazy and started banging his head non-stop against a wall. His teacher said that he would not stop and immediately called his mother ,who arrived at the school and found the situation had become worse.
Not only did the boy’s body become limp, his face was twitching and was unresponsive to his mother’s calls when she tried to wake him. Immediately without delay, his family brought him to the hospital for treatment where he was hospitalised for 28 days.
His condition, however, did not improve but worsened to the point that he became mentally disabled. As a 13-year-old boy, he behaved like a baby who couldn’t walk or talk or take care of himself. Even after he was brought to the Department of Neurology and the Department of Rheumatology, his condition still did not improve.
The doctors then conducted a detailed examination of the boy and looked at previous test reports to determine what exactly he was suffering from and diagnosed him with Autoimmune Encephalitis. This disease is a new category of immune-mediated disease involving the central nervous system that leads to cognitive impairment, according to the American Journal of Neuroradiology.
After being administered medicine and treatment, the boy’s condition finally began improving. His face no longer convulsed and he was able to talk again. On the fourth day of treatment, he began recognising his parents and on the 12th day, the boy’s health had dramatically improved and was discharged from the hospital.
The doctor explained that because the boy had played his mobile phone constantly until midnight and did not have proper rest, his immune system was weakened – which resulted in Autoimmune Encephalitis.
That was such a close call! Thankfully the boy was able to recover from his almost hopeless mental state. Now you know how bad of an effect mobile phones can have on a person when they are used excessively.
Also read: 2yo Girl Suffers From 900-Degree Short-Sightedness After Playing With Smartphone for Over a Year