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Children use cell phones to observe TV, play games, make phone calls, and send text messages. Many older kids and teenagers have their own cell phones, which they're attached to 24/7. But are there risks to such frequent use by children, and if so is that different than the risks for adults?
Cell phones emit a kind of radiation that's referred to as Radio Frequency-Electromagnetic Radiation (RF-EMR), also mentioned as microwave radiation. There are concerns from the scientific community about whether or not cell phones are safe. Cancer may be a particular concern, but since cancers take 10-20 years to develop and children’s frequent telephone use may be a relatively recent development, there are more questions than answers. To read more about whether we should always be worried about telephone radiation generally , read our article here.
There are several studies of the impact of telephone radiation on children. Here are a number of the conclusions so far:
A 2010 study of telephone radiation noted that, “in general and on the average , children suffer a better exposure of their brain regions than adults.” this is often because children have proportionally smaller heads and brains, yet receive an equivalent levels of telephone radiation as adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees, saying that “when employed by children, the typical RF energy deposition is 2 times higher within the brain and 10 times higher within the bone marrow of the skull, compared with mobile use by adults.”
Another study found that folks who begin using cell phones (and cordless landline phones) before the age of 20 are at a good higher risk of developing brain tumors than people that begin using these wireless phones as adults.This is due to the closer proximity of the source of radiation to the brain of youngsters (they have thinner tissues and bones than adults).
Research also suggests that telephone exposure could affect children’s behavior. the youngsters within the study who were hyperactive or had emotional or behavioral problems, including trouble getting along side other kids, were far more likely to possess mothers who used cell phones during pregnancy. After accounting for other factors that would affect behavior, the youngsters of those mothers were 80% more likely to possess behavioral problems than children whose mothers rarely or didn’t use cell phones. However, this is often difficult to review because mothers who use cell phones frequently during pregnancy or after the baby is born, may pay less attention to their children, leading to the children’s bad behavior. More research is required to know the link between mother’s telephone use and children’s behavior.
Children that used cell phones more were more likely to possess ADHD. Although the link to ADHD was just for children who also had high levels of lead in their blood, when researchers adjusted for blood lead level, they still found that ADHD was more likely for youngsters who made more phone calls and spent a extended amount of your time on the phone. This study was conducted in Korea, so it might be important to try to to similar research on children living in other countries.
Please be careful with your children. Thanks!