Mobile phones for children: a boon or a peril?

From The Times

June 23, 2009

Half of British children aged 5 to 9 own a mobile phone, and a brand for tots is imminent. Some experts are unhappy.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6556283.ece


Informant: Martin Weatherall

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Firefly mobile phone designed for four year-olds

By Urmee Khan, Digital and Media Correspondent

23 Jun 2009

A mobile phone called the Firefly which has been designed for children as young as four has caused alarm among parents.

More than 7,000 handsets have already been sold in Ireland and the phone is set to be launched in Britain before the end of the year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/mobile-phones/5611280/Firefly-mobile-phone-designed-for-four-year-olds.html


From Mast Sanity/Mast Network

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On sale soon: The mobile aimed at four-year-olds
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1195007/On-sale-soon-The-mobile-aimed-year-olds.html

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Child mobile phone use costs them sleep
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1107

Alarm bells ring over kids’ phones
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1116

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Firefly phone marketed specifically at 5 to 9 year olds

Obviously, in the light of official government advice that children up to the age of 16 should not use their phone except in emergency situations, and the personal opinions of leading scientists in the world on child usage of a phone (see below), this seems like a particularly irresponsible marketing decision. With the steadily increasing research showing a probable association with long term mobile phone usage and an increased risk in developing a typically fatal brain tumour, the idea of promoting any level of mobile phone use for young children is simply exploiting parents fears for their safety for the sake of extra profits. What makes it worse is the tragic irony that in giving the phone to their children, parents will feel they have made a positive choice with regards to their child's welfare, when the opposite may turn out to be the case.

Full story under
http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20090707_children_mobile_phones.asp



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=mobile+phone+children
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Firefly
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=brain+tumour

I spent last week attending the BioEM 2009 meeting in Davos, Switzerland ( http://bioem2009.org/ ) and all day Sunday and most of today preparing the attached document. As always this meeting, though dominated by industry, presented many important findings. Attached are my highlights of this meeting.


Lloyd Morgan

IF WE DON'T LOOK, WE CANNOT FIND

Highlights of BEMS/EBEA 2009 (BioEM 2009) Meeting



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Lloyd+Morgan