Carrying textbooks can cause medical and, if you lose a textbook, financial problems for students and their families.

Using tablets may be a solution to carrying heavy textbooks, offering (eventually) lower costs, enrichment opportunities for students, and can save you money if you often lose your textbooks.

Back pain or soreness can be a problem for some students, including freshman Laura Kendrick, who thinks that carrying a backpack full of textbooks is unhealthy.

“When I have more weight in my backpack,” Kendrick said. “It makes my back sore.”

Textbooks also cost more, in the long run, compared to using a tablet.

On average, a high school textbook costs $70. If you have six classes with textbooks, the cost is about $420.

A decent tablet can cost anywhere from $30 to $90. A textbook on a tablet costs around $5.

The total cost for six classes would be around $60 to $120.

Tablets can be reused as well, so the cost would be reduced each year.

Tablets could provide teachers with more access to technology, making it easier for students to become engaged in enrichment activities, or other educational activities.

According to Dr. Joseph Triano, a chiropractor who holds a Ph.D. in spine biomechanics, of Spine-health.com, heavy backpacks full of textbooks can cause distortion of the natural curve of the spine and can cause rounding of the shoulders.

Freshman Gabe Mosher thinks tablets would be a better option compared to textbooks.

“Technology would be better than a textbook,” Mosher said. “It’s more accessible.”

Students’ bodies are still developing and any damage to the spine can cause many problems later in life.

However, tablets do have some drawbacks.

Screens, as many people have experienced, can crack easily if not protected by a case or protective sleeve, which cost around $10 to $15.

However, teens are not typically seen as the most responsible generation.

Luckily, some brands charge only $9 for screens online.

This price, compared to buying a replacement textbook, which costs as much as a new textbook, is relatively low.