The Truth About Our Wireless Devices – Part 2
Last week we shared some information about the possible health effects of mobile phone usage. This week we have more information specifically geared toward children.
How often do your kids use a mobile device?
Most kids today either have their own cell phone or tablet, or at least have access to one through their parents or siblings. It isn’t unusual for children as young as six to use these devices on a regular basis. Yet the technology was originally designed for adults. Do we know what it is actually doing to our kids’ health and well-being?
When these new technologies were developed, several safety studies were conducted to find out what the effects of the EMF/NIR (electro-magnetic frequencies and non-iodizing radiation) had on adults. Guidelines were set in place to keep them protected. Great thing, right?
Yes, but what we couldn’t see back then is that our kids would one day be inundated with the same technology. Today we think nothing of putting a tablet into a toddler’s hands on road trips, in high chairs, and when we need a little peace and quiet. Yet those earlier studies didn’t account for folks smaller than us.
Since then, EMF/NIR research by Gandhi & Kang in 2002 showed that “there is a deeper penetration of absorbed energy for the smaller heads compared to that for the larger heads.” In other words, although the exposure rate was the same for anyone using a mobile device, the absorption rate was quite different. Children, with their smaller heads, were at a much greater risk.
L. Lloyd Morgan, in theJournal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure, also cites studies from around the world indicating children are at greater risk from mobile phone usage.
Some scientists do point out that these studies use simulations of human heads, not actual ones. So the evidence is not completely clear.
Nevertheless, the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a letter supporting The Cell Phone Right to Know Act (H.R. 6358), said:
Children are disproportionately affected by environmental exposures, including cell phone radiation. The differences in bone density and the amount of fluid in a child’s brain compared to an adult’s brain could allow children to absorb greater quantities of RF energy deeper into their brains than adults.
Organizations such as the World Heath Organization (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are conducting ongoing studies into the dangers of mobile device usage. And in the United Kingdom, the Department of Health has commissioned SCAMP (Study of Cognition, Adolescence and Mobile Phones) for a two-year study of mobile phone effects on children’s brains:
The SCAMP Study will follow several thousand secondary school pupils across London from Year 7 through to Year 9, to investigate whether their use of mobile phones and other wireless technologies might affect their neurocognitive or behavioural development. It is the largest study in the world to address this important research question.
Meanwhile, until we have the results of these studies—which, in some cases, could take years, as mindful parents, we should still be taking steps to keep our kids (and ourselves) as safe as possible.
In the last post we listed some basic mobile device habits you and your kids can follow.
Here are some additional guidelines:
Consider keeping your phone in airplane mode when not in use, since airplane mode means the Wi-Fi signals aren’t constantly trying to connect, causing unnecessary radiation.
Set limits on your kids’ mobile device time. Using a device for homework is fine, but do they need to play games or watch videos for hours on end?
Pregnant women should keep cell phones away from their abdomens.
Do not text and drive, and use specially adapted antennas in cars so phones can avoid absorbing maximum power as the vehicle moves from one cell system to another.
Turn off your wireless router at night to minimize exposure to radiation.
Eat green vegetables and get a good night’s sleep in a dark room to enhance natural repair of DNA that may have been damaged by cell phone use.
Be consistent and follow through. This is a great opportunity to exercise your leadership as a parent and to be a good role model for them. Remember that kids will not always do as you say, but they will definitely do as you do.
Need reminders for all these great new house rules? Here are some fun ones:
Have your kids write their guidelines on a poster board to hang in a common area of your home as a family reminder.
Create a screen-saver image so that every time your kids look at their phones or tablets they are reminded of the guidelines.
Use sticky notes! Put up notes on your bathroom mirror, on your tablet, and in your car to remind kids what to do.
Share with us what new habits your family is adopting.
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