The Influence of Texting on Walking: A Gait Comparison between School-Age Children and Young Adults

The average age for a child getting their first smartphone is getting younger. While well-established negative impacts of using smartphone on walking characteristics such as slower walking speed or greater sway were generally found for the adult population, its age-related differences are not clear. Of specific interest was to examine school-age children’s gait characteristics during walking and texting. A total of 24 participants were recruited in this study (12 children (CG) and 12 young adults (AG)). Two conditions were employed (No-Texting and Texting) and in each condition participants performed two 60 sec walking trials at their preferred speed along a rectangular walkway. Gait parameters including spatial and temporal step characteristics were measured from wireless inertial sensor system. Dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated as the percentage change between single-task (No-Texting) and dual-task (Texting) conditions. No significant group differences in DTC were observed for texting speed and accuracy. DTC for the gait speed was not significantly different between groups. CG exhibited greater DTCs of foot strike as well as toe-off angle showing the more leveled foot angle control. There was a greater reduction of foot elevation at mid-swing in CG than AG. Lower lateral step variability and greater reduction of lumbar motion in transverse plane were also exhibited in CG. The study highlights that to attain a comparable secondary task performance with young adults, children group adopted more cautious gait patterns when walking and texting. The observed changes, therefore, may suggest that a greater compromise in motor-domain seems necessary in school-age children mobile-phone users under dual-tasking conditions.