In love with the kid cell phone Firefly? Think twice!

Colin Dunstan · 04-12-2005, 12:50 PM

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?

Chaos · 04-13-2005, 11:20 AM

Personally I wouldn't take the chance with any children I may (or may not) have in the future. Cellphone's haven't been around long enough to do any true long-term studies regarding the radiation. Personally, although I use a cellphone some, I rarely use it for more than a minute at a time, and it's usually only on for a few hours on the weekend. Sure, I don't have a lot of use for it at the moment... but even so, conventional phones are less of a danger, and are cheaper. What's not to like?

TadW · 04-13-2005, 04:21 PM

Trust me one day you will have this small sticker on every cell phone saying:

WARNING: Your cell phone is hazardous to my health.
You using your cell phone around me
may be hazardous to yours!

04-12-2005, 12:50 PM	#1
Colin Dunstan Is papyrophobic! Posts: 1,926 Karma: 1009999 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: USA Device: Dell Axim	In love with the kid cell phone Firefly? Think twice! 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?

04-13-2005, 11:20 AM	#2
Chaos Evangelist Posts: 418 Karma: 281 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Device: Assorted older devices	Personally I wouldn't take the chance with any children I may (or may not) have in the future. Cellphone's haven't been around long enough to do any true long-term studies regarding the radiation. Personally, although I use a cellphone some, I rarely use it for more than a minute at a time, and it's usually only on for a few hours on the weekend. Sure, I don't have a lot of use for it at the moment... but even so, conventional phones are less of a danger, and are cheaper. What's not to like?

04-13-2005, 04:21 PM	#3
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Trust me one day you will have this small sticker on every cell phone saying: WARNING: Your cell phone is hazardous to my health. You using your cell phone around me may be hazardous to yours!