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What's with parents these days anyway? They complain about kids' clothing but they're the ones who buy it, after all, and everything else they complain about kids having and their behavior.
It's been said that the late cur Lee Atwater had a mobile phone (when they were the size of a small "boombox") to his ear constantly and he died of brain cancer at a fairly young age. Coincidence?
What about wireless devices such as laptops? I remember a scene from the horrible movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which had a young boy (Jaden Smith) on his bed with a laptop covering his genitals. That can't be so good, either.
Also, laptops resting on a male's lap will overheat and kill sperm/inhibit spermatogenesis; although as I recall, that wouldn't be a problem for a young boy, preadolescents in general or the geriatric population. :-)
As you state, it has been 10 years since cell use has been common. There is simply no proven link between use and brain cancers. If there is one, it is exceptionally rare- the health risks of driving, or even walking, while using a phone is FAR greater than developing a brain tumor. This is reason enough for kids to not get in to the cell habit early.
I also had to laugh at the lunacy of some of the commenters on the source story, who seemed to be enthralled by the debunked "power tower" panic (although now they are adding cell towers to the mix, with just as much evidence from what I have read). It is pretty funny since there is that whole town in England that is fearful that their "ley lines" (non-existent folk tale energy) and their lives are being disrupted by wi-fi (yeah, that's where the "orgone energy" mentioned is involved - orgone is a pseudoscientific belief pushed by either idiots or scammers, for those who don't know). We're definitely on the fringe here.
Now, if these findings can be backed up by other researchers, and there is evidence of causality (as opposed to mere correlation), then I would say that governments would be justified in acting. Until then, it's a panic reaction designed to show the public, who are not exposed to and unfamiliar (in general) with actual science, that they are taking their safety seriously. It's a political decision really unconnected with the science so far.
All of that said, I don't see any reason why kids, especially pre-high school, even need cell phones. Society has not changed so much that kids need to be connected to their friends 24/7. Especially given the part in the article where they want to ban the sale of phones for kids under the age of six. Six? WTF? Who do you even know at that age? It's like the new nanny isn't tv anymore, it's now cell phones.
I am a big fan of Amercablog, but this just makes me embarrased to even have read. This belongs on someoplace like freerepublic, not here.
I occasionally volunteer as a tutor at a local high school. I usually arrive during lunchtime. It's eerie to see a courtyard full of kids, each yakking away on a cellphone with very little face-to-face conversation going on.
That said, there could be some completely mysterious, unknown mechanism by which they could cause cancer. But that would need very good, solid epidemiological evidence to demonstrate. Needless to say, there isn't such evidence for cancer. By all means continue research, but don't freak out. And (by definition of unknown) there could be some unknown mechanism by which _anything_ causes cancer, including freaking out about cell phones.
And LowKey: solidarity, brother. We've got great grocery stores here in Seattle that cater to environmentally friendly things like local and organic food, but they also have complete nonsense like homeopathic remedies for sale (and are incredibly defensive when I challenge them on this - refuse to listen to evidence, explanation, anything). This is what gives environmentalism and liberalism bad woo-woo reputations.
Children are at thegreatest risk as their brain tissues are still developing and the live on the cell phone.
What about cordless household phones? Wouldn't they have the same problems?
Can I keep my 13 yo off the cell, only to have him just as endangered by the cordless phone?
It won't change the minds of those enmeshed in pseudoscience and conspiracy theorists, but it might educate those who are not aware of what reality is, as opposed to what popular news outlets put forth.