When our tech items take us to the emergency room: a selection of ridiculous injuries caused by our smartphones, headphones and sex toys

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Supposed to make our lives easier, our technological gadgets can sometimes turn into real instruments of torture. A study of American hospital data conducted by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reveals the funniest accidents caused directly or indirectly by our everyday tech objects.

The champions of disaster

At the top of the list of the most dangerous objects, hoverboards reign supreme. These motorized skateboards are responsible for the greatest number of emergency room visits. Leading the way in injuries: wrists and head. A piece of advice that seems obvious but is worth repeating: wear a helmet!

While it is hard to see how dangerous they are, smartphones are the subject of the most absurd mishaps. More than 13% of phone-related injuries are simply the result of dropping them on the face, toes, or, more tragically, on children.

More than the object itself, it is its distracting aspect that causes the most accidents: 12% of injuries occur when their users, too absorbed in their screen, fall off their bike or trip over potholes. Even more worrying, 5% of emergency room visits are due to electrocutions or burns caused by these devices.

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Gaming can also be dangerous

The world of gamingmakes a unique contribution to this list of accidents. Virtual reality games are particularly prolific: over 64% of VR-related injuries come from unintentional blows to loved ones or oneself. The most memorable anecdote concerns an unfortunate 12-year-old boy who unintentionally hit himself in a sensitive area, requiring a visit to the emergency room.

Traditional gamers are not spared either. In their case, injuries are often the result of angry gestures: intentional hitting windows, mirrors or glass tables. The “angry” are therefore regulars in hospitals. Epileptic seizures represent nearly a quarter of incidents related to video games, a figure that underlines the importance of warnings on photosensitive content.

Sex toys, obviously

On a more intimate level, connected sex toys are also appearing in emergency statistics. While cases of objects getting stuck remain less frequent than earphone tips getting lost in the ear canals (a surprising comparison, to say the least), they nevertheless illustrate the sometimes unsuspected risks of our modern gadgets.

This study therefore reminds us that even the most banal technological objects in our daily lives can turn out to be dangerous when misused (or in unfortunate circumstances). It also highlights the importance of responsible and attentive use of our devices, even if some accidents are sometimes funny.

• Hoverboards are the tech devices causing the most emergency room visits
• Smartphones cause accidents both by falling and by the distraction they cause
• Virtual reality mainly causes injuries by accidental blows

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