Last month when I
reported on Firefly, a cell phone specially designed for small children, I told you that I wasn't quite convinced that parents would or should jump after this product without considering the potential health risks. Well, here is the news
appearing on CNN (via AP) today, a news that the company Firefly Mobile is certainly not happy to see:
In Britain, the chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board advised in January that parents should not give mobile phones to children age 8 or younger as a precaution against the potential harm of radiation from the devices. When you use a cell phone, 70 to 80 percent of the energy emitted from the antenna is absorbed by the head, Lai said. Last week, a federal appeals court in Maryland reinstated five class-action lawsuits claiming that the cell phone industry has failed to protect consumers from unsafe levels of radiation.
Because young skulls are thinner and the growing brain may be more susceptible to radiation, cell phone use could have a worse effect on kids than on adults. What's making the current discussion difficult to comprehend is the fact that a brain tumor takes about 30-40 years to develop, so even if your cell-addicted child is quite happy and healthy right now, noone can tell you what direct damage it could suffer in a couple of years. As a parent would you take the chance?