M.Zamzam Is A Mobile Phone Bad For Your Child's Health?: What's The Problem With Phones?

M.
ZAMZAM
Is a mobile phone bad for your child's
health?
Almost 9 out of 10 children in the UK now have a mobile phone, and while they can be
beneficial in helping children stay in touch with worried parents, the health argument isn't so
clear-cut.
Studies at present are inconclusive on whether usage among children leads to long-term health
problems – especially as the majority will end up using mobiles over their lifetime.
With so much still unknown, the Department of Health says young children should only use
mobiles in emergencies.
We ask the experts to weigh up the dangers.
What's the problem with phones?
Mobile phones are designed to transmit radio waves (a form of non-ionising radiation) in order
to find a signal, and these waves move in a variety of directions including towards the user's
head.
The problem is that when this happens they are absorbed into the body's tissues, and this is why
some studies have indicated they may potentially increase the risk of brain cancer.
So do they or don't they cause cancer?
For the last few years there has been much debate (and many sensational headlines) on whether
mobile phones increase your risk or not. But with so many conflicting studies it's difficult to
make firm conclusions.
On one side, a report in 2000 said that children should not use mobile phones except in
emergencies, and a 2008 Swedish study warned that children who use mobiles are more likely to
develop gliomas, a cancer of the glial cells that support the central nervous system.
Earlier this year the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that mobile phones 'may cause
cancer'.
However, a study in 2006 and the largest study to date, released in October this year, showed no
link between long-term use of mobile phones and tumours of the brain or central nervous system.
The latest research, led by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Denmark, found no evidence
that the risk of brain tumours was increased by mobile phone use.
The study followed 358,403 mobile phone subscribers over an 18-year period and suggested that
even those who had used a mobile phone for 13 years or more did not have an increased risk.
However, long-term dangers, especially among children, are still unknown (this study looked at
adults only), and even the authors of the Danish study said that continued monitoring is still
needed because the risk over longer periods cannot be ruled out.
Are children at greater risk than adults?
The short answer is yes.
According to research published in October in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and

Medicine, children absorb significantly more cell phone radiation than previously thought.
This is because children have smaller heads and thinner skulls than adults, which means their
bone marrow can absorb up to 10 times the radiation that an adult's might.
While this doesn't tell us if phones are more dangerous for children, it does suggest that there's a
need for caution with children regarding phone usage until more research is done.
Do studies back this up?
A 2008 study from the University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden, found that children and teenagers
were more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones.
The study, experts say, raises fears that today's young people may suffer an 'epidemic' of the
disease in later life.
'People who started mobile phone use before the age of 20 had more than five-fold increase in
glioma,' says Professor Lennart Hardell who led the study.
As a result, Professor Hardell believes that children under 12 should not use mobiles except in
emergencies and teenagers under 20 should limit their usage.
After this age, the danger diminishes because the brain is already fully developed.
What's the UK's position?
Dr Kat Arney, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, says: 'The overwhelming
majority of studies on mobile phone use in adults suggests that they don't increase the risk of
brain tumours or other cancers in the nervous system, suggesting these devices are generally safe
to use.
However, as we don't yet have answers from specific studies looking at mobile phone use by
children – although research is under way – we recommend that parents encourage their children
to limit mobile phone call time.'
This is also the recommendation of the Stewart Report, which was published in April 2000.
This report advised that gaps in our current knowledge mean we should take a 'precautionary
approach' to phone use among children, and led to the Department of Health recommending that
under-16s use their phones for essential calls only.
What can parents do to decrease the risk?
With 79 per cent of children aged 7 to 11 years having a mobile phone – and the proportion with
smartphones such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android phones growing fast (46 per cent of
children now own a smartphone) – it pays to be cautious.
The best advice is to limit how long children speak on the phone.
If your kids insist on having a mobile, or you feel they need one, encourage them to:
 text/message/email, rather than call their friends

 use a hands-free device when calling
 use mobiles sparingly or only in an emergency
 always use speakerphone, or keep the phone away from your head when you speak.
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M.

We ask the experts to weigh up the dangers.

What's the problem with phones?

So do they or don't they cause cancer?

Are children at greater risk than adults?

The short answer is yes.

According to research published in October in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and

Do studies back this up?

What's the UK's position?

What can parents do to decrease the risk?

 text/message/email, rather than call their friends

Other people watched:

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