Cell phone use has grown rapidly among kids and teens, bringing cell phone safety issues into the limelight. According to the Center on Media and Child Health, some 22 percent of children ages 6 to 9 have cell phones, as do 60 percent of tweens ages 10 to 14 and about 84 percent of 15- to 18-year olds own cells. These percentages from 2010 are expected to rise, notes CMCH, especially with cell phone companies marketing colorful phones with easy-to-use features to younger children.
Warning
Kids face "stranger danger" with cell phones, just as they do on Internet chat sites, warns the Safe Kids website. That means kids need to know who they are texting and talking with. It's especially important to warn your kids not to text or talk about sex with strangers. Porn is another concern. Anyone with a cell phone can automatically download porn video clips, sometimes without realizing they've agreed to do so. Kids also may be exposed to videos and games involving sex and violence, especially since game ratings are not used on cell phones.
Mental Effects
Kids can be bullied on the phone, according to Safe Kids. In fact, text messaging is being used more and more by bullies to torment victims, according to CMCH, an organization established by the Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.
Watch girls especially for the "cyberbullying" hazard. This psychological harassment is more often perpetrated by girls who either spread damaging gossip or send inappropriate messages, according to CMCH. A cell phone may affect mental health even without bullying. Teens who use cell phones the most are more likely to be anxious or depressed, according to CMCH.
Physical Effects
Cell phones may have physical effects on your children. Children are more vulnerable to the electromagnetic fields that cell phones emit than adults, says Ann Louise Gittleman, author of "Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart Electronic Pollution." Kids have thinner bones and skulls, which allows them to absorb twice as much radiation as adults. EMFs also penetrate more deeply into children's brain tissue. Your child's brain tissue is more conductive than yours because it has higher ion and fluid concentrations.
Kids cells are dividing rapidly due to growth, which raises risk for damage at critical moments in development, Gittleman says. According to CMCH, some of the research on electromagnetic radiation due to cell phones shows a statistical association between use and brain tumors or low sperm counts. However, other studies do not show any increased risk.
Considerations
Your child may be exposed to more bacteria if he uses a cell phone as most of them are crawling with germs, according to CMCH. This is partly due to the phone's close proximity to her mouth, allowing germs to be passed onto the phone due to breathing, sneezing or coughing. Also, people use cells everywhere, even in the bathroom.
Eye strain and repetitive strain injuries like "digital thumb" are other possible problems.
Prevention/Solution
As a parent, you can help keep your child safe by creating a set of rules and responsibilities for using her cell phone. Talking about the appropriate uses for her cell phones, and setting rules about cell phone use at night so your child doesn't suffer a lack of sleep due to texts or calls that wake her up are important. Also instruct your children to only answer calls or read texts from known callers.
If you have a teen, discuss the hazards of driving while dialing, texting or talking on a cell phone. Gittleman advises that you teach your child to keep her phone away from her head when a call is connecting because it emits its strongest signal during these few seconds. Using a headset or speakerphone for the entire call is a better option, as is texting rather than calling, Gittleman says.
References
- Center on Media and Child Health: Cell Phones
- Safe Kids: Cell Phone Safety Tips
- School Counselor: Cell Phone Safety
- "Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart Electronic Pollution"; Ann Louise Gittleman; 2010
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