to let toddler ds watch cartoons on my phone, my mum is worried about radiation.

[ikeaismylocal]

I sometimes let ds watch YouTube on my phone, it's mainly when we are in the car or on the bus.

My mum visited last week and she is worried that I'm exposing him to radiation.

I also use my phone to look at mumsnet/Facebook whilst pregnant.

My mum said it may well be the equivalent of smoking around children in the 80s, no one batted an eyelid at the time but now the idea of smoking in the same room as toddlers is shocking.

Aibu to let ds sometimes play with my phone?

Make her a tinfoil hat

She is misinformed about the radiation... we are surrounded by it at all times. It is easy to run a quick search for up to date info

www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones

Lots of other sites relate 'incontrovertible' evidence that there is increased risk... but don't say what that level of risk is, or give any indication of how strong the causality is. Basically, there probably is increased risk of a number of health indicators but we currently have no idea and, as phones are nigh in ubiquitous, there is no escaping them. If you don't have one you are still in close contact with people who do and are surrounded by the carrier waves anyway - oh, and radio and tv radiation has a stronger, definite effect at close quarters... but no one thinks about them any more!

Does she also say that looking at the small screen will give him a permanent squint?

Those of us who are knocking on a bit have seen all kinds of things we thought were safe declared dangerous and vice versa. Your mum probably has a vague feeling that watching you tube on a phone is not an appropriate occupation for a toddler- you didn't do it at that age, after all. She may have a point, perhaps you could be old fashioned and pack a few small toys for journeys?

She may have a point

No she doesn't.

There is no radiation risk from phones. There are two types of radiation; non-ionising (low energy) and ionising (high energy). Ionising is the stuff that does the damage and, unless the phone is made of uranium, isn't an issue for the kid watching videos.

There is no radiation risk from mobile phones.
Is she going to be all 'well thats what they want you to think' if you tell her that.

When I was a child I had a friend whose GM shared their home and insisted that it was dangerous to use the television during rain - not just thunder, any rain - so they did not. Tell your mum that you understand otherwise and change the subject.

I'm glad the general feeling is that it isn't dangerous. I think it's useful for ds's language development to watch some kids tv as ds is bilingual and we mostly show himtv in his minority language,

Phones don't emit dangerous radiation, it's just radio waves in the same part of the EM spectrum and visible light and infrared. Don't worry.

Technically your child is exposed to radiation, but not as much as sitting in front of an actual radiator or in the sun.

Ask her what she thinks radiation is and then tell her the levels in certain fruit.

You get more radiation from the sun. So if you want to get technical, on that logic it's better for him to be inside with a tablet than outdoors playing in the dirt.

I wouldn't worry.

Unless he has adhd, then the phone will be forever blamed.

tell you mum to go read some basic books on the electromagnetic spectrum. She needs to sort out this gap in her education.

light is radiation by her definition.

she has a point in that a lot of things we deemed safe has suddenly become unsafe but in the good old days nothing was ever really investigated these days everything is investigated to death

my sister was given baby aspirin as a 3/6 month old mixed in a bottle of ovaltine mom was then instructed to close the door on her and turn the sound UP on the TV

we have moved on a little since then

Deakymom None of that means that every amateur crackpot theory has to be taken seriously. There were people who thought that travelling faster than a horse can go was dangerous so train travel should be forbidden but nobody acted on that LOB either!

she has a point in that a lot of things we deemed safe has suddenly become unsafe

And sometimes the other way round.

Under the HSAWA if you are pregnant you can refuse to work with DSE (display screen equipment) so computers, Ultrasound machines, smart phones, interactive white boards, heart monitors etc etc.

Does anyone actually do it?

Does anyone even remember the 'scare' in the 1980s when people were linking miscarriage to VDUs?

yes,we have moved on. But the electromagnetic spectrum has not been rearranged.

there's a difference between caution and ignorance.

OP, please be cautious and accept that your mum is right to be worried.

I know that non-ionised radiation has been said to be harmless, but many countries have now banned wireless technology in schools, including Israel, France, and many others, and the European Parliament voted to ask Cabinet Ministers to make stricter regulations on exposure to this technology.

Please read this:
www.safeinschool.org/2011/01/wi-fi-is-removed-from-schools-and.html

Things are changing fast, and there is particular concern about children.

All the best.

Did you read the reasons for removing wi fi?

Germany To reduce the exposure to electrosmog but also to provide the computers with faster access to the school network, a wired connection should be given preference wherever possible. For this, however, school authorities need to lay the necessary groundwork. Classrooms must be fitted with many, easily accessible network ports. Desks must be arranged in such a way that cluttered network cables do not pose a risk to students.

All else is based on an EU directive, specifically aimed at schools
The European Union decision ENVI/6/65496 noted the importance of schools being ‘clean’ as much as possible from electromagnetic radiation including radiation from cell phones. In the United States in NYC, bringing cell phones into schools is banned and a similar bill was introduced in France. The European Union, England, Canada, the American FDA and San Francisco state in the US, decided that a campaign should be initiated to increase the awareness for safer and sensible use of cell phones with regard to the possible adverse health effects to children and youth

Why? To be safe rather than sorry. All that is quoted are studies that 'seem to show' 'possibility of increased risk [in animal studies], I quote again:

That there is reason to suspect an increased risk of developing these tumors as a result of cell phones use . It should be noted that the study populations did not include children and youth who are considered to be more susceptible to the adverse health effects of electromagnetic radiation. As a result, many international organizations have recommended adopting the ‘precautionary principle’.

No proof of causality just a reasonable precaution to take in schools, just in case. To say any different is scaremongering!

ignore the tinfoil hat brigade; those who talk of 'electrosmog' also probably talk of 'detox'. Try some facts:

www.senseaboutscience.org/data/files/resources/8/MSofRadiation.pdf

correct, kids should not spend hours with mobile phones because they will fry their brains. But not from 'radiation'.

The electrosmog was from the German government, specialsubject

I have taken to giving the cancer.gov site as a reference as people seem to believe them more than any science site!

But I also believe that most people need that reassuring voice as they don't feel comfortable reading scientific journals and reports. Or they just misunderstand the content.

Senseaboutscience is great and that pdf is the best/most simple explanation I have seen in years. I'll start using it myself

I will look at cancer.gov. (and smiles noted)

well, I have all respect for our elected politicians but the only one who had a science background was Maggie Thatcher!

I have no connection with senseaboutscience beyond recently discovering them, and I too think they are great.

Avoiding wi-fi isn't really an option as we live in an apartment and all our neighbours have Wi-Fi so we must be exposed lots.