Introduction

We are blessed with gadgets and new technologies that come every day. Everyday something
new is invented and many have been a great use for mankind. In today’s generation the most
common piece of technology we can see is mobile phones. We can see people of older age,
adults, kids and even infants using it. It is a great device for communication and entertainment.
But for kids especially as an entertainment device. Nowadays parents use it as a device to make
kids quiet and to make them stay put. As a result, they have been spending more and more time
with mobile phones. Longer use of cell phones is hazardous to children of young age (4-8 years)
and have different health issues first being poor eyesight. Cell phones also have radiation which
is bad for brain development. We need to monitor our children’s time with cell phones and help
them do other activities to ensure their good health.

Research
Cell phone radiation has been a topic that has been brought down for many years. Although the
radiation might be in small. it is definitely there and does damage at a slow rate. Adults have
dense bone and muscle structure and since most of our organs have stopped growing it has little
effect on us. As for kids (4-8), their bone density is low, and they are still growing which makes
it easier for radiation to seep inside their body and cause serious damage in the long run. A 2010
study of cell phone radiation noted that, “in general and on average children suffer a higher
exposure of their brain regions than adults.” (NCRH). Their brains are still developing and can
absorb radiation because of more water present in the brain. This can lead to non-malignant
tumor in the ear and the brain.

(Warning about RF exposure on iPhone 5s) (Screen time among children 0-8)
Poor eyesight is one of the most common reason why children should spend less time on mobile
devices. “Staring at a screen for long stretches without taking breaks can cause symptoms such
as eye fatigue, blurry vision or dry eyes.” (Healthychildren.org). Even adult and people of any
age are prone to this with long use of smartphones. They make the eye fatigued as kids tighten
our eye muscle to look are the screen. The major factor for fatigue eye is the blue light from
smartphones which can even cause blindness in some cases. Blue light also causes sleep
deprivation which makes it harder to fall asleep. With not enough sleep children will not be
healthy and can hinder their growth. Children might also suffer from ADHD with longer use of
cell phones. “Although the link to ADHD was only for children who also had high levels of lead
in their blood, when researchers adjusted for blood lead level, they still found that ADHD was
more likely for children who made more phone calls and spent a longer amount of time on the
phone.” (NCRH).

Regular use of smartphone can lead your children to have an addiction for them. “It jeopardizes
the child’s overall development. By engaging them in solely one gadget they could become
addicted to it and taking these devices may make them angry and emotionally unstable
(Lifehack). The addiction might keep up even if they become teen or adults. Small children can
also develop negative attitude. It causes them to spend less time with real people and go online.
Even though kids (4-8) might only watch videos on the internet. It will still have negative effects
on them as they find it more pleasing than interacting with friends and parents. This might make
them slowly unsociable. Other negative effects of high cell phone use will be indirectly causing
obesity, making their attention span small and impedes their ability to learn.

Conclusion
To sum it up there are many health-related risks that comes with phone usage. Non-malignant
brain tumor, fatigued eye, in some strong cases blindness, sleep deprivation and anger related
issues. There are risks of spreading germs as kids might touch someplace dirty and use the same
hand to use cell phones and eat food as well. These slight changes which might be seen in their
behavior will not be good for their future. Therefore, parents need to act accordingly and manage
the playtime of their kids with smartphones. They also need to bond with their children more
instead on handing them devices to make them keep quiet. All these small steps are going to help
children a lot and keep them away from dangers which comes with use of smartphones.
Sources.

“Is Cell Phone Radiation Risky for Children?” National Center for Health Research, 2.Aug. 2017,
www.center4research.org/children-cell-phones-phone-radiation-risky-kids/

“Give Your Child's Eyes a Screen-Time Break: Here's Why.” HealthyChildren.org,

www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/What-Too-Much-
Screen-Time-Does-to-Your-Childs-Eyes.aspx.

Imafidon, Casey. “10 Reasons You Shouldn't Hand A Smartphone to Your

Children.” Lifehack, Lifehack, 2 Aug. 2017, www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-reasons-you-
shouldnt-hand-smartphone-your-children.html.

Painter, Kim. “Kids Are Spending More Time Staring at Phones, Tablets than Ever
Before.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 19 Oct. 2017,
www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/10/19/media-goes-mobile-for-young-kids/776652001/.