Cell Phone Dangerous For Pregnancy And Kids
By
on
May 19th, 2008
Print This Post
Email This Post
Do you use the cell phone while pregnant? Are you letting your child use a cell phone? You might want to think twice about that according to a large research study which concludes some surprisingly negative consequences of cell phone use. University researchers at UCLA and Aarhus (Denmark) found cell phone use just two to three times a day by pregnant women can seriously damage a baby. The damage was even greater if the kids themselves used cell phones before age 7. This is stunning news to me and could have a huge impact on how we look at cell phones.
A giant study, which surveyed more than 13,000 children, found that using the handsets just two or three times a day 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 it adds that the likelihood is even greater if the children themselves used the phones before the age of seven.
Even researchers seems to be surprised by the results even though researchers in Russia pointed out the dangers a while back.
But they follow warnings against both pregnant women and children using mobiles by the official Russian radiation watchdog body, which believes that the peril they pose "is not much lower than the risk to children's health from tobacco or alcohol".
Risks not much lower than tobacco or alcohol? That would be a surprise and cause changes in the way we use our phones. Problem is, we are already addicted. I never leave home without my iPhone. It's a habit and more people today use it as an organizing tool plus listen to music and check email throughout the day.
Comments regarding the results were the most surprising to me. When researchers tried to explain the results by looking at other causes, the connection to cell phone use became even stronger.
The scientists say that the results were "unexpected", and that they knew of no biological mechanisms that could cause them. But when they tried to explain them by accounting for other possible causes – such as smoking during pregnancy, family psychiatric history or socio-economic status – they found that, far from disappearing, the association with mobile phone use got even stronger.
As with all surveys and research, I think it's best to be a little skeptical and wait for more research confirming the problems. No need to panic but keep cell phone usage in mind if you're pregnant.
Popularity: 7% [?]
I just read the article and it also says they admit it could be that mothers who are often talking on the cells pay their kids less attention, or a factor similar to that. Because the symptoms are behavioral ones, I’m inclined to suspect the link is psychological. Kids who are raised in households where phones are constantly used are likely to be accustomed to instant gratification. I think TV watching and video games can certainly have an effect on a kid’s attention span. As for the pregnant moms, I believe a mother’s mental state has a huge impact on the baby’s personality. I was high-strung when I was pregnant, and my daughter has an intense personality herself. I do think it’s a good idea to limit cell phone usage, but for behavioral reasons; not necessarily biological ones.
There’s correlation, but causation? I’m unconvinced.