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Some Interesting Facts about Cell Phones
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HACKENSACK, N.J. — It’s the new rite of passage. Not too long ago, the
monumental event in a 10-year-old’s life was getting braces. Now everyone who is
anyone has to have a cell phone.
Depending on who’s talking, phones for such young children are either a blessing
in emergencies, the latest back-to-school accessory, noise pollution or a health
risk. Or, as one concerned social worker put it, “an electronic umbilical cord”
to mom and dad. |
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What can I use to
protect myself from cell phone radiation
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Cell phone and child
Now, 14 percent of children ages 10 and 11 nationwide have their own cell
phones, according to GfK NOP, a market research firm. Don’t hang up yet;
the firm predicts one out of three children that age will have their own phones
within the next year or two. That’s the current rate for 12- to-14-year-olds.
Wireless companies are racing to
cash in on this lucrative young market and win brand loyalty at a tender age. To
boost the phones’ allure, companies are snazzing them up with all kinds of
“cool” entertainment — games, graphics and ring tones. “These phones are great
for 10- and 11-year-olds when they’re stuck in the back of mom’s car when she’s
at the dry cleaner’s,” says Ben Rogers, vice president of GfK NOP.
Some children’s advocates, however, say all this hoopla should be put on hold
pending further study of the phones’ possible perils.
Commercial Alert, a non-profit consumer group, recently asked Congress to
investigate the safety and privacy issues surrounding the marketing of cell
phones to children. The group warned that kids might be enticed to run up huge
bills; advertisers might bombard kids directly via cell phones or phone-related
Web sites; and predators might use phones to lure children into danger.
Targeting young children for cell-phone sales “is one of the worst ideas to
appear in the American economy in a long time,” Commercial Alert said in its
July letter to Congress, backed by 30 prominent child advocates, psychologists
and educators. “Does anyone really believe that kids today lack sufficient
distractions from schoolwork, that there are insufficient disruptions in the
home, and that child predators and advertisers lack sufficient means of access
to kids?”
Some parents who give their children cell phones say they just want a convenient
way to communicate, especially in a crisis, and they can easily revoke any
phones that are misused.
Leila Leon of Glen Rock, N.J., gave one to her daughter last Christmas when
Ciena was 9 and started walking three blocks home from school. Ciena is not
allowed to text-message or use the Internet through the phone. She calls friends
mostly on weekends when minutes are free.
Daniel, a 10-year-old whose last name was withheld for privacy, says his father
gave him a cell phone about a year ago after his parents separated. “My dad
wanted me to call him,” Daniel says sweetly. “I can call whoever I want, but I
just call my dad.”
The targets of some phone companies’ pitches might be barely old enough to write
down a phone number. Firefly Mobile, for example, aims for 6-year-olds and up;
their phone has a big button with a symbol for a woman that speed-dials mom and
another button for dad.
TicTalk, to be available this month, is also intended for age 6 and up and comes
loaded with “educational” games by LeapFrog. Parents can program in all the
numbers the child is allowed to dial or receive calls from. They also can limit
the times calls are permitted.
“Everything on the device is parent-controlled,” says Mark Weinzierl, president
of Enfora, the company behind the TicTalk. “It makes the child feel safer
because they have that wireless tether back to their parents. ... It’s like a
cell phone with training wheels.”
EMF Effect
One European agency has taken action based on a controversial warning — that
children’s developing brains might be vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation
from prolonged cell-phone use. There is no proof of such damage, but the British
National Radiological Protection Board recommended last year that parents avoid
giving cell phones to children younger than 8 and that older children should use
them only when absolutely necessary. The guidelines caused such a stir that MyMo,
a phone marketed for children ages 4 to 8, was taken off the shelves in Britain.
Weinzierl counters that his company’s TicTalk meets all federal safety
requirements and can be held in the hand, like a walkie-talkie, rather than near
the ear.
Many companies are shooting for the older “tween” market of 8 to 12. Mattel has
a new Barbie phone with prepaid minutes so parents can control how long their
child talks. The Barbie phone also links into a “rewards board” on myscene.com,
so kids can earn extra minutes by doing chores or getting good grades |
