Children are especially sensitive to the effects of electromagnetic radiation. This is because their nervous systems and immune systems are still developing, making them even more vulnerable to electromagnetic fields than adults are. Studies on children and cell phone radiation are especially alarming.
There are many experts, scientists and doctors who are issuing warnings in particular about the WiFi radiation exposure children are currently experiencing in schools. Increasing numbers of children are reporting chronic headaches, digestive disorders and sleep disturbances that have been linked to EMFs. Scientists are also connecting ADHD, asthma and autism with exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
WiFi Dangers to Children:
Recently, the French National Assembly passed a law regarding WiFi dangers to children by entirely banning WiFi in nursery and daycare settings. The ban extends to primary schools, only allowing WiFi to be enabled in those classrooms when actively being used for education.
Although a number of countries have issued warnings about WiFi in the past, none has been as explicit as this as to the hazards WiFi radiation for children. The ban demonstrates the first national implementation of the precautionary principle with regards to managing the prevalence of wireless technology.
This law, known as the “law on sobriety, transparency, information and consultation for exposure to electromagnetic waves” appears to be a compromise between two factions in the Assembly and only came about after moving past one obstacle after another for two years, during which its initial ambitions were seriously downgraded. The bill, originally filed in January 2013, ended up in a watered-down form and was finally passed.
Nonetheless, the law sets an important precedent that will hopefully be acknowledged and eventually emulated by other governments in the world.
Key Points in the Law
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Experts Warn about WiFi in Schools
For the last decade or so, scientists and other experts have issued warnings about WiFi dangers to children and have suggested that schools take a precautionary approach. Based on these warnings, a number of governments and authorities have taken steps to caution parents and school authorities about the use of wireless devices.
Certain organizations have also given strong warnings about all technology that emits microwave radiation similar to that of WiFi, including the Council of Europe, the European Environment Agency, UK Trades Union Congress, the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, and the Russian Commission for Electromagnetic Safety.
One expert campaigning about WiFi dangers to children, Magda Havas, Professor of Environmental & Resource Studies, Trent University, ON, Canada, states:
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“The scientific evidence clearly shows that microwave radiation at levels well below [international] guidelines and at levels now commonly found inside classrooms with Wi-Fi routers causes cancer in laboratory animals, causes heart palpitations in sensitive adults, causes reduced sperm motility and viability, and is associated with symptoms of electrosensitivity that include – but are not limited to – cognitive dysfunction, pain, fatigue, mood disorders (depression, anxiety, irritability), dizziness, nausea, weakness, skin problems, and tinnitus.” |
What Can be Done about WiFi Dangers to Children?
Since at this point, there is no legislative support in the US or Canada to help reduce WiFi exposure for children, it’s important for parents to take steps to protect their children as much as possible. Limiting the screen time they give their children at home is certainly important—for many different reasons. Gathering with other parents and school officials to discuss ways to limit EMF exposure while at school is another.
Meanwhile, it’s wise to check out EMF protection devices that can perhaps solve the whole problem and give parents a sense of relief.
Cell Phone Use May Lead to Harmful Effects in Children
Children & Cell Phone Exposure = Behavioral Problems, Headaches, Neurological Damage, and Hearing Loss
Mothers and fathers – do not use cell phones around your children! Pregnant women – avoid cell phone use, as it can harm your unborn child! Mothers of children – do not allow your children to use cell phones for any reason. We can see, on a daily basis, that it has become common, inside of just a few years, for parents to let cell phones be ” babysitters” for their children – amusing them so the parent can be occupied with other pursuits. In the grocery store, we can easily view mothers using cell phones right by their babies’ or toddlers’ heads, even letting them teethe on the rubbery skin of a cell phone. Older children have their own cell phones, despite the dangers. Would these parents continue cell phone exposures to their children if they knew these could produce lasting health and behavioral effects? We think not. Parents, put the cell phones away, turn them off. Use them for emergencies only. Give your child your attention and protect them from harm.
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Studies associating cell phone exposure with development of behavioral problems in children:
Prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phone use and behavioural problems in children Jul, 2008
RESULTS: Mothers of 13,159 children completed the follow-up questionnaire reporting their use of cell phones during pregnancy as well as current cell phone use by the child. Greater odds ratios for behavioral problems were observed for children who had possible prenatal or postnatal exposure to cell phone use. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratio for a higher overall behavioral problems score was 1.80 (95% confidence interval = 1.45-2.23) in children with both prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phones.
Cell phone use and behavioural problems in young children (2012 Jun)
“RESULTS: The highest OR for behavioural problems were for children who had both prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phones compared with children not exposed during either time period. The adjusted effect estimate was 1.5 (95% CI 1.4 to 1.7).
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the previous publication were replicated in this separate group of participants demonstrating that cell phone use was associated with behavioural problems at age 7 years in children, and this association was not limited to early users of the technology. Although weaker in the new dataset, even with further control for an extended set of potential confounders, the associations remained.”
A study associating headaches in children with cell phone exposure before and after birth:
Prenatal and postnatal cell phone exposure and headaches in children
“RESULTS: Our analyses included data from 52,680 children. Children with cell phone exposure had higher odds of migraines and headache-related symptoms than children with no exposure. The odds ratio for migraines was 1.30 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.68) and for headache-related symptoms was 1.32 (95% confidence interval: 1.23-1.40) for children with both prenatal and postnatal exposure.”
A study associating hearing loss in children with cell phone exposure:
Cell phones exposures and hearing loss in children in the Danish National birth Cohort
RESULTS: Our analyses included data from 52 680 children. We observed weak associations between cell phone use and hearing loss at age 7, with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from the traditional logistic regression, MSM and DRE models being 1.21 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99, 1.46], 1.23 [95% CI 1.01, 1.49] and 1.22 [95% CI 1.00, 1.49], respectively.
Children are endangered by cell phone radiation
From the International Parenting Association, a good summary of recent studies pointing to very serious side effects of cell phone exposure for children, including neurological and genetic damage from the radiofrequency radiation exposures from cell phones (and other wireless sources).
Moms and Dads – take care of your children’s brains, from before the time of conception. Prevent damage to sperm, eggs, your unborn child, and your children, after birth. Eliminate or reduce radiation exposure, for the sake of their health and all future generations. Get rid of wireless devices such as smart meters, turn off the cell phones and your microwave, permanently. Hardwire your computers to receive Internet. Shield your computers. Since there’s no way to easily avoid electromagnetic radiation in today’s world, the only sane solution is getting EMF protection. MHT offers a product that have been tested and proven effective. Click on PRODUCT to learn more to protect you and your family.
Children and Mobile Devices: What Screen time is Doing to our Kids
Two studies have recently been published on the subject of children and mobile devices—both finding that too much screen time is harmful to kids in a number of different ways.
Decreased Social Skills, Problem-Solving Skills & Hand-Eye Coordination
The first study was performed at the Boston University School of Medicine and published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics. Results showed that children using iPads, other tablets and cell phones displayed:
- Decreased social skills and empathy
- Less ability to deal with their own emotions
- Worse problem-solving skills than other children
- Poor hand-eye coordination—skills that are critical in the future development of science and math ability
The study also notes that children exposed to wireless devices are being exposed to hazardous electromagnetic.
Researchers expressed particular concern about the lack of social skills seen in children who use iPads. Spending so much time using iPads reduces the amount of time the child spends interacting with actual human beings; and this, according to experts in the field, can have devastating consequences on the child’s brain development.
Decreased Ability to Recognize Emotions
A second study on the effect of wireless devices on children was performed by the University of California, Los Angeles. Results showed that child’s social skills—and in particular, their ability to accurately recognize emotions—was impaired by their use of these devices.
The UCLA scientists found that sixth-graders who went five days without using a Smartphone, television or other digital screen did substantially better at reading human emotions than sixth-graders from the same school who continued to spend hours each day using their wireless devices.
Two groups of sixth-graders from a Southern California public school were studied. One group was sent to the Pali Institute, an outdoor education camp where the kids had no access to electronic devices. The other group continued life as usual.
At the beginning and end of the 5-day study period, both groups of children were shown pictures of 50 faces and asked to identify the feelings being shown. Researchers found that the students who went to camp scored significantly higher when it came to reading facial emotions and other nonverbal cues than the students who continued to use their wireless devices.
Professor Patricia Greenfield, senior author of the study, stated:
“Many people are looking at the benefits of digital media in education, and not many are looking at the costs. Decreased sensitivity to emotional cues — losing the ability to understand the emotions of other people — is one of the costs.”
The results of this study seem to confirm prior research, reports Marjorie Hogan, a pediatrician at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).“Common sense tells me that if a child’s laying on his or her bed and texting friends instead of getting together and saying, ‘Hey, what’s up,’ that there’s a problem there.” The AAP has warned parents for a number of years that children need to cut back on their screen time. As unrealistic as it may seem in today’s world, this is the group’s latest recommendation for entertainment screen time:
Children 3-18: Limited to two hours/day
Children 2 and younger: None at all.
Addiction to Mobile Devices
Besides being harmful to a child’s overall development, experts say that gadgets can be even more addictive than tobacco, gambling and alcohol–and as addictive as some illegal street drugs. And evidence suggests that the earlier a child begins to interact with tablets, cell phones and other devices, the more likely it is that he or she will become addicted to these devices.
This is because the devices shoot “feel good” chemicals such as dopamine through the brain similarly to the way that drugs do. Some children have been exhibiting signs of addiction such as tantrums and aggressive behavior when a wireless device is taken away from them. In certain countries, especially in Asia and the US, gadget addiction treatment centers are appearing.
Dangers of Electromagnetic Radiation
There are other dangers that mobile devices present to all of us—but especially to our children: those caused by the electromagnetic radiation (or EMFs) that radiate from all wireless devices and from the WiFi used to make the devices work. These dangers have been studied and reported on for over a decade; but for many reasons, have not been reported accurately to the public in the mainstream news.
These independent, peer-reviewed studies have linked a number of symptoms, disorders and diseases to EMF exposure in children, such as:
- ADHD
- Asthma
- Autism
- Headaches
- Digestive Disorders
- Cognitive impairment
Read more on children and mobile devices—and EMF-related health problems.
Thankfully, there is something you can do to prevent your child from being exposed to the dangers of EMFs: get EMF protection.
However, to prevent the psychological and emotional problems developed through the simple fact of too much screen time, it’s up to parents to help their children limit their time with their devices—and to provide more healthy alternatives.
For this, parents themselves need to determine how much time they themselves spend watching screens, and see if they can model healthier habits to their children.
Children are at Greatest Risk—Including While in Utero
Sadly, children and teens are at greatest risk—both for parotid gland tumors and brain tumors—as their thinner skull bones allow for greater penetration of cell phone radiation. The radiation can enter all the way into their midbrain, where tumors are more deadly. In addition, children's cells reproduce more quickly, so they're more susceptible to aggressive cell growth. Children also face a far greater lifetime exposure. According to Professor Lennart Hardell of Sweden, those who begin using cell phones heavily as teenagers have 4 to 5 times more brain cancer. The following image, clearly shows the differences in depth of penetration between adults and young children.
Pregnant women would also be wise to avoid cell phones as much as possible. In 2008, researchers analyzed data from nearly 13,000 children and found that exposure to cell phones while in the womb, and also during childhood, were linked to behavioral difficulties. Using handsets just two or three times a day during pregnancy was enough to raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions, and relationships by the time they reached school age—and the risk became even greater if the children also used the phones themselves before the age of seven.
Overall, the study revealed that mothers who used mobile phones were 54 percent more likely to have children with behavioral problems. Later on, when the children began using cell phones themselves, they were:
- 80 percent more likely to suffer from behavioral difficulties
- 25 percent more at risk from emotional problems
- 34 percent more likely to suffer from difficulties relating to their peers
- 35 percent more likely to be hyperactive
- 49 percent more prone to problems with conduct
Since there’s no way to easily avoid electromagnetic radiation in today’s world, the only sane solution is getting EMF protection. MHT offers a product that have been tested and proven effective. Click on PRODUCT to learn more to protect you and your family.