A study shows that young people are growing horn-like bone spurs at the base of their head, and researchers believe that the appendages are a result of cellphone use.

The study examined the x-rays of 1,200 Australians between the ages of 18 and 86 and found that 40% of those aged 18 to 30 had some form of horn growth, the Washington Post reported. The study contends that the spurs are a result of shifting muscles from cellphone use. When the head is tilted forward to look at a phone, it distributes the weight from the spine to the muscles in the back of the head, resulting in bone growth in the tendons and ligaments.



X-rays of two skulls are shown. A yellow arrow indicates the location of bone growth. (Screenshot via Scientific Reports / Nature)

If correct, the research would show the first documented instance of modern technology reshaping the physiology of the human skeleton.

“An important question is what the future holds for the young adult populations in our study, when development of a degenerative process is evident in such an early stage of their lives?” the authors of the study wrote in Scientific Reports.

The growths have been dubbed by the Australian media variably as “head horns,” “spikes,” “weird bumps,” and “phone bones.” Some of the “horns” that were studied had grown to over an inch in length.

The study does not, however, specifically place blame for the the phenomenon on cellphones, as TechDirt points out by quoting a portion of the study that says, "Their research does not prove that device use causes these bony appendages. They don’t even claim that device use and appendages are correlated. They simply make an educated guess in the discussion section, pointing to a topic for future research."