Feature Article: Cell phone and child

France urges caution on children's use of cell phone

"The French Agency for Environmental Health Safety (AFSSE) has made several recommendations for parents, manufacturers and operators of mobile phones."

Cell phone hazards?

The AFSSE suggested that parents should limit use of cell phone to their children who have a phone to stay in touch with home and that children use a hands-free kit.

It also said that makers and service providers should not target children in their advertising and product range "until more is known about possible effects on children" from the radiowaves emitted by phones.

Cell phone and child?

The recommendations were drawn up in response to a request by the ministries of health and the environment, and were made on the basis of a 10-member panel of experts.

Britain's National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) published a report on June 11 to recommend cautious measures for use of cell phone and child (under eight), saying children are facing potentially greater risks to their health from radiation because their nervous system is still developing, the tissues of the head absorb more energy than those of adults and because they face a lifetime of radiation exposure.