Impact on Children
Professor Tom Butler summarizes the impact on children in his paper, On the Clear Evidence of the Risks to Children from Smartphone and WiFi Radio Frequency Radiation:
Bioelectromagnetics expert Dr. Om Ghandi published in IEEE Access, "Yes the Children Are More Exposed to Radiofrequency Energy From Mobile Telephones Than Adults":
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has issued an Open Letter to the Superintendents imploring them to protect our children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), representing 60,000 pediatricians, in December 2012 urged Congress to protect children from the dangers of wi-fi. "It is essential that any new standards for cell phones or other wireless devices be based on protecting the youngest and most vulnerable populations to ensure they are safeguarded through their lifetimes." The full letter is published here:
The AAP has also issued policies for Media and Young Minds (ages 0 to 5) and Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/10/19/peds.2016-2591.full.pdf
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/138/5/e20162592.full.pdf
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges radiation as a factor in children's environmental health:
www.who.int/health-topics/children-environmental-health#tab=tab_1
In 2019 WHO published guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep for children under 5 years of age, including specific screen time limitations:
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-moreThe EMF Points of Confusion vs. Fact sheet helps to dispel common misconceptions that parents, teachers and medical teams often have about wireless radiation when first joining the conversation:
Martha Herbert, PhD, MD of Harvard Medical School, a leading neuroscientist and autism expert, cautioned Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on the use of WiFi in schools:
http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/herbert-lausd/
See Dr. Herbert's Findings in Autism (ASD) Consistent with Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR):
https://bioinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec20_2012_Findings_in_Autism.pdf
Hugh Taylor, MD, Yale University discusses ADHD symptoms seen in mice exposed to cell phone radiation:
Studies have found adverse effects on offspring from prenatal exposure to wireless radiation:
http://www.saferemr.com/2014/06/joint-statement-on-pregnancy-and.html
Peter Sullivan offers EMF reduction strategies for families with autism:
http://www.clearlightventures.com/blog/2014/07/emf-reduction-for-autism.html
India is reporting an increase in brain tumors, including among children:
http://www.asianage.com/metros/delhi/100717/brain-tumour-among-children-on-the-rise-in-india.html
LAUSD reduced their EMF exposure to students and staff, making it 10,000 less than what the FCC's thermal limits allow for public exposure (though it still may be an unsafe biological level when cumulative and simultaneous exposures are considered):
http://www.lausd-oehs.org/docs/Misc/Radiofrequency_Safety_Fact_Sheet_021113a.pdf
CBS News did a six-minute story on the radiation coming from baby monitors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0FoP6-_NQc
The following outlines the dangers wi-fi poses for children:
Reported health effects from exposure to electromagnetic radiation EMR
Dizziness, headaches, nausea
Fatigue, weakness
Anxiety, depression
Insomnia
Numbness, tingling, joint pain
Muscle spasms
Skin rashes, allergies, asthma
Blurred vision, impaired vision
Nose bleeds, impaired sense of smell
Shortness of breath
Concentration problems, memory loss
Behavioural problems, learning problems, ADHD
Hyperactivity, heart palpitation
Potential long term health effects from EMR as indicated in scientific studies
Brain cancers, acoustic neuromas and other tumours
Leukaemia
Lymphoma
Melanoma
Reduced production of Melatonin
Impaired fertility
DNA damage
Pre-natal damage, miscarriages, birth defects
Immune disfunction, chronic allergic responses and inflammatory responses
Neurological and behavioural effects
Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
Epilepsy
Source: Wi-Fi in Schools Australia - Safe Schools 2012 - Joining the Dots Report - Dr Neil Cherry EMR ICNIRP critique - Freiburg Appeal 2012 - BioInitiative Report 2012 - Dr Magda Havas
Dr. Toril Jelter, pediatrician and general practitioner, discusses EMF, Autism and Child Behavior in an 8-minute video. She prescribes a two-week trial with limited wi-fi exposure and patients often have remarkable results in just a few days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3iRrVQPDBk
Dr. Jelter also provided this 20-minute lecture, Health Effects of Non-Ionizing Radiation in Children:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D98K2zvjBWI
Barrie Trower, a former physicist with the British Royal Navy and expert in radiation, explains in the following two-part lecture the dangers of using wi-fi radiation. He is particularly concerned for the welfare of children and fetuses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgJmeQaQmc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhcuSEHVOSM
Retired President of Microsoft Canada Frank Clegg warns of Wi-Fi, smartphone, cell tower radiation:
iPads: How Safe Are Our Children? was published by The Green Gazette July-August 2013 and is attached below.
Attached is also a 2013 letter issued by a Vermont doctor and Dartmouth College professor to parents, school administrators, teachers, and elected officials.
Also attached is a 2013 open letter by UK medical doctors: Health and safety of Wi-Fi and mobile phones.
Psychological and Mental Health Impact
The following studies indicate wireless radiation causes neurological damage:
Pall, M. L. (2016). Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, 75(Pt B), 43–51.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchemneu.2015.08.001
Warnke, U., & Hensinger, P. (2013). Increasing incidence of burnout due to magnetic and electromagnetic fields of cell phone networks and other wireless communication technologies. (Original: Steigende „Burn-out"-Inzidenz durch technisch erzeugte magnesche und elektromagnesche Felder des Mobil- und Kommunikaonsfunks, Umwelt·medizin·gesellschaft, 26(1), 31-38.
http://avaate.org/IMG/pdf/warnke_hensinger_umg_1_2013_engl_df.pdf
Two child psychologists have written excellent books on what wi-fi and screen time are doing to our children and our families:
Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair offers The Big Disconnect, which takes one through technology’s impact at each stage of child development. Basically, the left side of the brain where math and science are housed is still developing on point. The right side, however, is not in many children. This is where a child’s ability to show empathy, employ coping strategies, make eye contact, and self-sooth are housed. In humans, we need regular human contact and deep meaningful interactions with loved ones and teachers to develop these properly. Children also need unstructured time for imaginative play to develop deep parts of our brains. Although well-intended parents think providing their children with technology will give them a leg up, the research is proving otherwise as we begin to see scores dropping after upping technology time, and behavioral and mental health issues are escalating.
In Reset Your Child’sBrain, Dr. Victoria Dunkley explains the myriad ways in which children can be harmed by electronic screen syndrome (ESS). Biologically, electronic screen exposure can cause a chronic fight or flight response, and hit the same opiate receptors in the brain as drugs and alcohol causing addiction. Children with attention issues and those with autism are at higher risk of addiction. If not given appropriate time to rest and regenerate, children begin to suffer chronically. Common symptoms are irritability, depression and mood swings. As ESS progresses, mood disregulation may combine with aggression causing some to be diagnosed with bi-polar disease. Others may develop obsessive-compulsive behavior, nightmares, panic attacks, tics, seizures, etc., as the effects take hold on the brain. Dr. Dunkley demonstrates how freedom from electronic screens can change the brain and alleviate or significantly reduce many of these symptoms. She offers a four-week plan to reverse the effects of ESS. See also her article in Psychology Today.
Paula Healy steps us through the psychological and neurological impact of screentime in this 37 minute talk, How our Digital Obsession is Dumbing us Down:
Dr. Marilyn Wedge explains how screens are impairing development in “Virtual Autism” May Explain Explosive Rise in ASD Diagnoses:
Dr. Delaney Rushton produced the documentary Screenagers, which is being shown in schools around the world to address raising children in the digital age:
The New York Times continues to investigate the effects:
Apple's Steve Jobs and other technology executives limited their own children's technology exposure:
The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected: America’s public schools are still promoting devices with screens — even offering digital-only preschools. The rich are banning screens from class altogether.
A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley: “I am convinced the devil lives in our phones.”
Silicon Valley Nannies Are Phone Police for Kids: Child care contracts now demand that nannies hide phones, tablets, computers and TVs from their charges.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/silicon-valley-nannies.html
See the Solutions page for strategies to keep children safe.
Note: The information provided here is publicly available on the Internet.
It is intended to provide a starting point to inform you of EMF dangers.
Please do your own research, draw your own conclusions, and act accordingly to protect those you love.
