Children

In general, the guidelines of the TNUDA center and the Ministry of Health regarding radiation-emitting devices are based on the precautionary principle, which aims to strike a balance between the developing technological needs of modern society and the degree of caution required to safeguard health.  The principal recommendation for reducing the level of radiation to the user is to place the source of radiation away from the body (for instance, by using earphones when talking on a mobile phone).

For children, it is recommended to follow strictly the general recommendations regarding the use of mobile phones, because children are more sensitive to developing illness following exposure to harmful agents.  This sensitivity is due to a number of factors:

• Body tissues of children are developing, hence they are more sensitive to environmental hazards.

• Children's life expectancy is long, so that they may accumulate significant amounts of exposure.This long life expectancy makes them vulnerable to developing diseases that manifest themselves several years after exposure (such as cancer, which may develop some 10-40 years or more after exposure to the harmful agent).

• Exposure of children to radiation touches on ethical issues related to decision-making on behalf of minors.

In general, it is known that the degree of sensitivity of children to carcinogenic agents is inversely related to age: in other words, the younger the child, the greater the risk.

It should be mentioned that many parents allow their children, even babies, to use non-ionizing radiation-emitting devices, such as Tablets.  Even if the amount of radiation emitted by such devices is low, the use of non-ionizing radiation-emitting devices by children should be given due consideration in view of the above points.