What Is the Risk of Holding a Laptop Wireless on Your Lap?

It seems ironic that a laptop computer may be harmful to your health if kept in your lap, but countless accounts of burned skin on legs have been reported in the news. Other health concerns have also been in published studies and by health authorities.

Toasted Skin Syndrome

• Media accounts of people getting the skin on their thighs burned has led to a condition that's been coined "toasted skin syndrome." According to an October 20, 2010, article from the Associated Press, a 12-year-old boy developed thigh-skin discoloration after playing computer games for hours.

Reduced Fertility in Men

• A 2004 study published in Human Reproduction, a European medical journal, released findings showing that prolonged use of a laptop computer on the lap could increase the temperature in a man's testes by more than 2.5 degrees C. The elevated temperature can in turn damage sperm, reducing the chances of fathering a child.

Back, Neck and Shoulder Problems

• Because a laptop keyboard is attached to a computer, bad posture may result, according to the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS). When you push away a laptop screen you also push away the keyboard. This promotes poor posture that leads to muscle aches. In order to avoid this risk, consider using a detachable keyboard.