Not without my phone

A BfS study attests that Mobile phones and Smartphones are just as much a part of everyday life for children and young people as they are for adults. However, Almost no-one considers the role of radiation protection, for children or for adults.

Children are barely enrolled in school by the time many of them own a mobile phone: between the ages of 6 and 9 this is the case for almost every 4th child and among 10-13 year olds it is 93 per cent, so almost all. And young people are "online" not only during the day, but also at night. 40 per cent of children in the first 4 years of school keep their device by their bed. 55 per cent of older children have their phone within reach at night - and 60 per cent of those with it switched on. These are the results from a representative survey conducted on behalf of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS).

"It comes as no surprise that the mobile phone and above all the minicomputer 'Smartphone' is ever more popular and widespread among children. But it is a worrying trend that at the same time the awareness of radiation protection is falling to nothing," says Dr. Thomas Jung, Head of Department for Radiation Protection and Health at the BfS. According to surveys, 99 per cent of children and young people primarily consider

• Price,
• Additional functions,
• Speed and
• Design

and not radiation values. There is little difference with adults: radiation protection played a role for only 4 per cent of those asked.

Phones and radiation protection

When making a call from a mobile phone, high-frequency electromagnetic fields are used to transfer information. Whether health risks are associated with these fields depends on so-called SAR values, the value of the "specific absorption rate".

Below 2 watts per kilogram - the permitted maximum value for mobiles - no damaging effects have been proven. However, primarily with regard to children, the scientific risk assessment is fraught with uncertainties. "Children are still developing and their health can react more sensitively," explains Jung. "Therefore, radiation contamination should be kept to a minimum as a precaution. For example, by ensuring when buying a mobile phone that the SAR-value is lower than 0.6 watts per kilogram."

Children use mobile phones in a different way to adults

Children use Smartphones primarily as a "mini computer" so first and foremos

• to play games (66 per cent),
• to send text messages (57 per cent) and
• to listen to music (52 per cent).

The behaviour of young people is similar, although they use far more functions, such as

• Messaging services,
• the camera and
• Video functions.

As regards radiation contamination, this is better than making calls with a mobile phone because the device is not used directly by the ear. So direct radiation contamination to the head is avoided.

Tips to minimise radiation from Smartphones

Because the use of Smartphones is beginning at an increasingly young age and research can never rule out a health risk, however small, Jung advises considering the following tips to ensure that radiation exposure remains as low as possible:

• On your child's Smartphone, deactivate "data transfer via mobile". This leaves it able to receive calls and play games offline while on the move. If playing games online is absolutely desirable, this should be done at home via a wi-fi network. Wi-fi networks usually have a lower radiation power than the mobile networks UMTS, GSM or LTE.
• Access e-mails manually and only when necessary.
• Avoid receiving e-mails during a telephone call. The lower the background data traffic, the lower the radiation contamination.
• If you or your child carries the Smartphone on your body, take care to observe the minimum isolation distance as specified by the manufacturer. Use the carrying accessories supplied with it.

Those wishing to purchase a mobile phone with a low SAR value can view the SAR values of numerous phone models on the BfS internet site at www.bfs.de/sar-werte-handy.

Facts and figures from the surveys

The study "Differentiated considerations of the use and perception of mobile communications" was carried out on behalf of the BfS by LINK Institut. In August and September 2013, 2,500 people were surveyed by telephone for the study. Both landline and mobile telephone numbers were included in the sample in order to reach both very mobile people and people without a connection to the landline network.

A focus of the study was the target group of young people and children. Young people between 14 and 17 were asked questions by the social researchers that had been designed specifically for this age group. In households including children aged 6 to 13, the children were questioned in connection with an adult interview and, in agreement with the parents, were asked a separate short series of questions.

The complete study can be viewed online at http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0221-2014022811170.