Spectrum of Sensitivity: Children

The world is becoming more digital than ever, depending wholly or partially on technological gadgets to help us work, communicate, and keep our kids busy. From schools to the playgrounds and even our homes, smart gadgets are used to educate our kids or entertain them.

Digital Dawn: Kids in the Age of Smart Gadgets

Unlike earlier generations who once valued outside as a mode of fun and interaction, the newer generations are being robbed of this old practice as they have been replaced with smart gadgets.

In 2011, years after the iPhone boom of 2007, only 10% of kids below three years of age had access to a tablet or smartphone. Two years later, these statistics have drastically increased to 40%, quadrupling its initial value. Today, by the age of 15, 99% of children in a prominent study had owned a phone. 

Today, nearly half of all five to ten years old kids own a smart device, and this progressing figure has been a source of constant worry to experts as more and more kids are now seeking entertainment via their mobile screens while they are at home in school, or even at their friend’s place.

Interested in learning about how phones taking over your sleep time can be detrimental to your and your family’s health? Read here about why sleep is important, here for how screen time can be damaging (especially for teens), and here for tips to ameliorate your lifestyle. 

Since mobile gadgets are essentially part of most kids’ lives, they are now exposed to a threatening amount of EMF radiation that can cause long-term sicknesses. During developmental periods, toddlers, children, and teenagers are more susceptible to the impacts of EMF exposure. Experts are actively studying the impact of EMF radiation on brain development and general behavior.

How EMF emitting from Mobile Devices affects children

Does your kid run hot after an enjoyable time with their smartphones and tablets? If so, this might be attributed to your kid’s high electromagnetic radiation absorption. Kids’ bodies can allow for a small increase in heat, which is similar to the excess heat the body dissipates after performing strenuous activities as the human body can regulate its inner temperature. 

However, excess EMF radiation can also cause an increase in your kid’s body temperature which causes a wide range of health and cognitive issues.   

Electromagnetic Radiation, EMF is known to be emitted by all smart technologies in the home and environment. This low form of energy can be easily absorbed by the human tissues, which negatively impacts the cells and tissues as smartphones emit a low level of non-ionizing radiofrequency that can penetrate the small frame of kids.

With kids being a volatile group with increased risks of diseases and other forms of ailments, EMF radiation can tamper with the physical, chemical, and biological well-being, and their smaller size and permeable bodies allow these radiations to go deeper into their cells, harming their proper growth and development. To parents and guidance who reward their kids with more screen time, a rise in screen time is an equal rise in the amount of EMF Radiation absorbed.

Invisible Influence: EMF’s Impact on Kids’ Health and Development

Damages brain development

Proper brain development is one of the biggest indicators of a healthy child as their rate of understanding common words and terminologies relies on their brain. EMF radiation is known to damage a child’s brain development, hence, they are unable to grasp what they’ve been taught properly.

From ages 0 to 10, the development of the brain undergoes a phase in which the child’s brain development is dependent on the increased rates of glucose metabolism, allowing the brain to undergo different stages of functionality. During these stages, the primary sensory and motor cortex, thalamus, brain stem, and hippocampal region are constantly being out to use, which allows them to grasp what they are being taught in school and at home and also relay them back properly.

In simpler terms, a lot goes on in their child’s brain during this stage and any limitations or hindrance to these processes can be very detrimental. A study from the National Institute of Health Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development conducted a study that showed the MRI scans of kids who use mobile devices for more than 7 hours to kids who don’t. The analysis shows screen time is causing harm to their brain as they are unable to access a face-to-face mode of interaction which serves as a foundation for learning and development. 

Learning Lags: The Screen Time and Academic Performance Link

In 2018, data gathered showed kids with more screen time scored lower in language, maths, and thinking tests than those who have up to 7 hours of screen time. This can be attributed to increased exposure to EMF which has been shown to impact learning ability and cause a thinner brain cortex. The Brian cortex is known to control learning which encompasses thinking and reasoning. 

In addition, kids’ addiction to video games has also been proven to be linked to poor academic performance. It is quite common for kids with more screen time to be linked with lower academic performance, and researchers are interested in understanding the dynamics between these two concepts. 

Eyes on the Prize: Screen Time’s Effect on Vision

It’s no news that the blue light from your mobile device can affect your overall eyesight. Though blue light is linked to having some benefits like lifting the mood, boosting attentiveness, and improving the brain’s part responsible for reasoning, the type of blue light that can provide these benefits is gotten from the environment (sun) and not LED devices as these devices emit high-energy phosphors as compared to the natural ambiance if the sun’s blue light. This coupled with increased exposure to EMF from electronic devices such as WIFI, laptops, and smartphones can lead to poor eye health, especially in children. 

Interested to know what else experts in the field have to say? Read here about what Tim Ferris mentioned on the Huberman Lab, here for what other key influencers are saying in the field, and here on this expert profile on Joel M. 

How does Aires Tech help you protect your kids?

Our kids are very important to us and the total ban on smart devices in our homes can be quite difficult. To ensure they stay protected even when they use these devices, Aires Tech nanotechnology helps neutralize electromagnetic radiation, rendering them harmless so your kids can enjoy their screen time while being protected.

Updated: July 24th, 2023