In Australia, 24 people develop type 2 diabetes every hour.
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That's 576 a day, and a local Tamworth expert believes that smartphones are to blame for the dramatic rise in cases.
Alarmingly, only half of those 24 people are aware of their condition.
As for every diagnosis there is another Australian unaware of the potentially deadly disease which sees 12 limbs amputated daily, thousands of cases of blindness annually, and is the leading cause of kidney disease and dialysis.
Tamworth-based diabetes educator Kate Ryan has a stern message for parents and young adults.
"Get rid of phones and devices from your children's hands," she said.
"Ten years ago we didn't see type 2 diabetes in young people, now we are getting 12 year olds coming through the doors.
"There is very strong links between screen time and anxiety, depression, obesity and diabetes in Australian children - parents need to be aware of the impacts, and limit screen time."
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This week is National Diabetes Week, and Mrs Ryan wants to use the spotlight to highlight a few key facts, most notably that type 2 diabetes is predominantly preventable, easy to detect and diagnose, and simple to treat if caught early.
"A lot of people can have type 2 and not realise it until it gets picked up with something else - like a heart attack. Type 2 sufferers are 30 per cent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke," Mrs Ryan said.
"A lot of people don't take a diagnosis seriously, but it can have massive long-term complications. At the same time it can be very simple to treat and prevent with healthy eating and exercise.
"Some simple diet changes - eating whole foods and avoiding packaged and processed foods, and doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, or even walking to work, or taking the stairs instead of the lift, can prevent, and treat type 2 diabetes."
In Australia, only 10 per cent of diabetes sufferers have type 1, while 58 per cent of type 2 diagnosis are deemed preventable.
Diabetes costs the Australian health system $14.6 billion annually.
