Children’s brain health negatively affected by screen time on ‘smart’ devices
(NaturalHealth365) The initial results from National Institute of Health (NIH) study have shown “different patterns” in the brain scans of children who use smart devices and video games frequently. But, the big question remains to be answered: will all of this wireless technology cause irreversible damage to brain health for generations to come?
Smartphones are everywhere, and children are being allowed to use them with more frequency than ever before. Some are even given their very own smartphone or allowed to play on a tablet at a very young age. But, we really ought to ask ourselves, what are the long-term effects of being exposed to cell phone radiation?
The brain health of our children is altered after just two hours on a wireless device
For the study, the brains of 4,500 children were scanned and assessed.
The $300 million U.S. study determined that children ages 9 and 10 who spend more than seven hours per day on average using these devices demonstrate a premature thinning of the cerebral cortex. This is the outermost layer of the brain, which is responsible for processing information we receive through our senses.
The researchers admit they aren’t 100% sure if the brain changes are caused by using the devices, or what the exact implications are. However, a consistent pattern was found in children who engage in heavy use of ‘smart’ devices and video games.
The NIH also reported that children who spend over two hours per day using devices with touchscreens score worse on both reasoning and language tests. The academy currently recommends that parents prevent children under 2 years old from digital media use (“except video chat”).
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Screen time on smart devices also linked with hyperactivity and cancer
The researchers would like to learn more about long term smart device use, outcomes and health effects – which raises concerns about why such testing wasn’t conducted before these devices were released to the public?
Other research has linked smartphone use and radiation exposure to health issues in young children and the unborn babies of pregnant women. For example, animal research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer found the babies of pregnant mice exposed regularly to cell phones suffered from hyperactivity and memory issues.
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard researchers have found links between EMF exposure and agitation due to the disruption of brain signaling.
The radiation from smartphones has also been linked with higher cancer rates, including brain and breast cancer. For instance, the U.S. National Toxicology Program found a connection between heart tumors and cell phone use.
Action step: Reduce your use of wireless devices ASAP
Children’s brains absorb as much as 10 times more cell phone radiation than adults, putting them at higher risk for smartphone health risks. In addition, parents using smart devices near their children increase their exposure, but children using them directly creates the biggest risk.
Bottom line: we should all strive to curb our use of wireless devices, but it is particularly important to keep small children away from them. Hopefully, researchers will be able to provide more insights soon about the short – and long-term effects.
At the moment, it just seems a bit alarming that we (as a society) allow the telecommunications industry to experiment on the population.
Sources for this article include:
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