Children’s unhealthy habits cause problems as adults
Cell phone use by kids is highly destructive for short- and long-term health

Dr. Phil Maffetone

Virtually everything we did during our youth can affect our physical, chemical and mental function as adults. In most cases, we can change bad habits when we grow up, offsetting negative consequences of early harmful habits. But for many adults, their unhealthy lifestyles—and diseases—started during childhood. The misguided media and our schools, just two integral parts of an imprudent society, fail to provide proper information on most of these important issues to help keep children healthy.

There are many examples of childhood habits affecting health later in life. One is melanoma, the nastiest of malignant skin cancers in adults. Instead of learning that a child’s sunburn is often the start of this condition, adults lather on sunscreen mistakenly thinking it’s the magic bullet. Osteoporosis is another one. Drinking milk and popping calcium pills are the mantras of having strong adult bones, many mistakenly believe. But the fact is adequate levels of vitamin D in childhood may be the primary reason for better bones later in life. It’s all about balance.

My recent article “Children's Shoes Cause Health Problems Later in Life for Adults" discusses another common example. But society won’t discuss these relationships either—after all, Nike, Adidas and other big shoe companies control the media and other potential sources of accurate information more than common sense or scientific studies.

Instead, we have Joe Camel—that cool cartoon character who smokes Camel cigarettes. It’s a perfect way to get kids thinking about being a lifelong tobacco company customer. Likewise for Ronald the clown’s junk food, the Burger king, and many other million-dollar campaigns directed at kids. Virtually everyone knows the outcome of these strategies—an overfat and sick society.

Here’s another: most kids now have cell phones, and their use significantly increases their risk of brain cancer. From the earliest days of cellular devices, consumers, scientists and healthcare professionals have been concerned about their harmful affects. Holding a phone by your ear appears innocent enough, but there’s the health concern regarding long-term exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields that are emitted by them.



With over five billion users worldwide, many are now children and the future customers of the industry, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently classified cell phones as possible cancer-causing agents, adding them to a list that also includes lead, DDT, engine exhaust, and chloroform. The highest risk of brain tumors is found among the most frequent cell phone users.

The WHO cited a 40 percent increased risk for glioma, which is a malignant brain tumor, in the highest category of “heavy cell phone user”—those who averaged 30 minutes per day over a ten‐year period.

If you’re one of the few who rely on a cell phone to get through the day, the best recommendation is to avoiding using it unless absolutely necessary, and for as short a time as possible. And, rely on hands-free technology.

A Kaiser Family Foundation study (“Generation M2 – Media in the lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds,” January 2010) showed that 31 percent of 8-10-year-olds, almost 70 percent of 11-to 14-year-olds, and 85 percent of 15- to 18-year-olds have cell phones. And, the majority of teens have owned a cell phone for five years or more.

While the idea is that kids will have a way to phone home in an emergency, that’s not what happens. They quickly develop the same habits as adults, spending time talking and texting, and keeping their cell phones on most of the time. In fact, kids are on the phone about an hour a day talking, and 90 minutes texting (averaging 118 messages a day!).

Experts say there is no safe level of cell phone use, only a probable safe duration of exposure—brain cells may be damaged after about 30 seconds of bombardment from wireless signals. Dr. George Carlo, a former industry chief scientist, and whistleblower, and author of “Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age,” discusses how electropollution from these devices can also cause an array of mental illnesses and genetic damage. Carlo says the industry’s user manuals don’t warn of the health hazards of cell phones because there are pending class action lawsuits against them, which threaten to expose the entire industry, similar to the cases brought against “Big Tobacco.” In his book, Carlo states that U.S. health policy is in contrast to that of Europe, “where British government officials issued a recommendation that all cell phones should carry warning labels alerting buyers that children shouldn’t use the phones because their skulls are more readily penetrated by cell phone radiation.”

Enough said.

ADDITIONAL READING
Children's Shoes Cause Health Problems Later in Life for Adults

Healthy Brains Healthy Children
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