6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Research Guide

Baby Monitor Radiation: What Parents Should Know

Based on 137 peer-reviewed studies

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At a Glance

Of the 133 peer-reviewed studies in this collection on radiofrequency exposure, 93 — 69.9% — reported biological effects. None of them studied baby monitors. What applies is indirect: monitors transmit at frequencies comparable to other household wireless devices, they run continuously through the night, and they are often placed close to an infant. The one relevant measurement study found that tissue dielectric properties change with age, most markedly in brain, skull and skin — the physical basis for expecting a young child to absorb radiofrequency energy differently than an adult.

Based on analysis of 137 peer-reviewed studies

Baby monitors provide peace of mind for parents, but wireless models emit radiofrequency radiation continuously—often throughout the night, positioned close to an infant's developing brain. This has raised questions about whether baby monitors pose any health concerns.

Research on children and EMF exposure is particularly relevant here, as infants have thinner skulls and higher tissue water content than adults, potentially allowing greater RF absorption. Additionally, the developing brain may be more susceptible to environmental exposures.

This page examines what research says about RF-EMF exposure in infants and how it relates to baby monitor use.

Key Findings

  • -93 of 133 studies (69.9%) in this collection found biological effects from radiofrequency exposure
  • -No study in this collection examined baby monitors specifically — the applicable evidence concerns comparable wireless frequencies, not the device itself
  • -Tissue dielectric properties decrease with age, most noticeably in brain, skull and skin, driven by falling water content — measured across ten tissues at six ages from 130 MHz to 10 GHz (Peyman 2001)
  • -Radiofrequency exposure produced DNA strand breaks in rat brain cells at a whole-body absorption rate of 1.2 W/kg, from both pulsed and continuous-wave radiation (Lai and Singh 1996)
  • -Distance is the dominant variable — radiofrequency intensity falls steeply with separation, so monitor placement changes exposure far more than any other choice a parent makes

What the Research Shows

What This Collection Can and Cannot Tell You

Of the 133 peer-reviewed studies indexed here on radiofrequency exposure, 93 — 69.9% — reported measurable biological effects. Not one of them studied a baby monitor. What follows is the adjacent research.

Why Infant Tissue Is Treated Differently

The strongest physical basis for treating children separately comes from Peyman and colleagues (2001), who measured the dielectric properties of ten rat tissues at six different ages across 130 MHz to 10 GHz. Properties decreased consistently with age, and the trend was most apparent in brain, skull and skin tissue, driven by changes in water content and organic composition. Since dielectric properties determine how radiofrequency energy propagates and deposits in tissue, younger tissue interacts with these fields differently — the measured basis for the widely repeated claim that children absorb more.

That study measured rats, not infants, and it reports tissue properties rather than a dose to a child's brain. It supports the direction of the concern without supplying a number for a human baby.

What Radiofrequency Exposure Does to Brain Tissue

Lai and Singh (1996) exposed rats at a spatial-averaged power density of 2 mW/cm², producing a whole-body specific absorption rate of 1.2 W/kg, then measured DNA strand breaks in individual brain cells four hours later. Both single- and double-strand breaks increased, with no significant difference between pulsed and continuous-wave exposure.

Hutter and colleagues (2006) took the question to a population, studying 365 randomly selected people living near ten mobile phone base stations. Measured exposure was far below recommended limits — a maximum of 4.1 mW/m² — yet the authors concluded that effects on wellbeing and performance could not be ruled out at those levels, while noting the mechanism at such low intensities is unknown.

Monitors in Practice

Two things separate a monitor from most household wireless devices. It runs all night, during the hours a young child spends closest to it, and parents often place it within arm's reach of the crib for audio clarity. A transmitter on the far side of the room delivers a small fraction of the energy of one beside the mattress, because intensity falls steeply over the first few feet.

Monitor types differ in how they transmit. Analog models transmit continuously on a fixed frequency. Digital models, including DECT units, may transmit in pulses and some continue transmitting when the room is quiet. A wired camera or an audio monitor that only transmits when triggered by sound reduces total transmit time substantially.

What the Evidence Does Not Show

Nothing here demonstrates that a baby monitor has harmed an infant. The animal work uses exposures above what a monitor across a room delivers. The population study found associations with wellbeing, not with any diagnosis, and its authors named the missing mechanism themselves. The collection also holds work pointing the other way in adults: the INTERPHONE study, an interview-based case-control study spanning 13 countries with 2,708 glioma and 2,409 meningioma cases, found no overall increase in brain tumor risk with mobile phone use, though it noted suggestions of increased glioma risk at the highest exposure levels that bias and error prevent interpreting causally.

What Parents Can Reasonably Do

Move the monitor. Placing it across the room rather than on the crib rail costs nothing and cuts exposure substantially, and monitors are designed to work at that range. Choose a model that transmits only when triggered by sound, or a wired camera, if one suits the room. Where the nursery has a router as well, moving that out of the room removes a second continuous transmitter from the space where a child spends twelve hours a day.

Related Studies (137)

Radiofrequency signal affects alpha band in resting electroencephalogram

Ghosn R et al. · 2015

Researchers recorded resting EEG in 26 healthy young subjects under sham and real RF exposure conditions in a double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover design. Compared with the sham session, the exposure session showed a statistically significant decrease of alpha band spectral power during the closed-eyes condition. This effect persisted in the postexposure session, and no significant changes were detected in electrode impedance, salivary cortisol, or caffeine between conditions.

Effects of mobile phone exposure (GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS) on polysomnography based sleep quality: An intra- and inter-individual perspective

Danker-Hopfe H et al. · 2015

Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled cross-over study to examine whether electromagnetic fields from GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS devices affected sleep. Thirty healthy young men between 18 and 30 years old were each exposed three times per exposure condition while their sleep was recorded. The only consistent finding across individuals was an increase of stage R sleep under GSM 900 MHz exposure in 9 of 30 subjects and under WCDMA/UMTS exposure in 10 of 30 subjects.

Cancer & TumorsNo Effects Found

Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields From Broadcast Transmitters and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Census-based Cohort Study.

Hauri DD et al. · 2014

Researchers conducted a time-to-event analysis of children under 16 living in Switzerland on December 5, 2000, with follow-up until December 31, 2008. They also included an incidence density cohort of all children living in Switzerland for some time between 1985 and 2008. In the time-to-event analysis of 997 cancer cases, the adjusted hazard ratio for the highest exposure category was 1.03 for all cancers, 0.55 for childhood leukemia, and 1.68 for childhood CNS tumors. The incidence density analysis of 4,246 cancer cases showed similar results for all cancers and leukemia but did not indicate a CNS tumor risk, with an incidence rate ratio of 1.03.

DNA & Genetic DamageNo Effects Found

Effect of 950 MHz UHF electromagnetic radiation on biomarkers of oxidative damage, metabolism of UFA and antioxidants in the livers of young rats of different ages

Furtado-Filho OV et al. · 2014

Researchers assessed the effect of 950 MHz ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic radiation on biomarkers of oxidative damage, unsaturated fatty acid concentrations, and catalase expression in the livers of rats of different ages. Twelve rats per age group were divided into control and exposed groups and exposed for half an hour per day for up to 51 days at a specific absorption rate of 1.3–1.0 W/kg. The radiation did not cause oxidative stress and was not genotoxic in neonates or 6- and 15-day-old rats, but it changed polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in neonates. In 30-day-old rats there was no oxidative stress but the radiation was genotoxic to the livers of exposed rats.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effects of early-onset radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure (GSM 900 MHz) on behavior and memory in rats.

Klose M et al. · 2014

Female Wistar rats from 14 days to 19 months were exposed in the head region for 2 hours per day, 5 days per week to a GSM-modulated 900 MHz field at SAR values of 0, 0.7, 2.5, and 10 W/kg. Four behavioral and learning tests (rotarod, Morris water maze, 8-arm radial maze, open field) were performed three times in juvenile, adult, and presenile rats. No profound differences were identified between exposure groups, though rotarod data showed significantly longer holding times for sham-exposed rats on some days, but these findings were not consistent. The results do not indicate harmful effects of long-term RF-EMF exposure begun at an early age on development, learning, and behavior, even at relatively high SAR values.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effect of whole-body exposure to the 848.5-MHz code division multiple access (CDMA) electromagnetic field on adult neurogenesis in the young, healthy rat brain.

Kim HS et al. · 2014

Researchers assigned male Sprague-Dawley rats to cage-control, sham-exposed, and CDMA-exposed groups, with six rats per group. The CDMA-exposed rats received whole-body exposure to an 848.5 MHz CDMA signal at 2 W/kg for either 1 or 8 hours daily, five days a week, for two weeks. During the last five exposure days, all rats were injected with BrdU to label dividing cells, and the numbers of BrdU-positive cells in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus were estimated using an unbiased stereological method. The study found no significant difference in BrdU-positive cell counts in either brain region between CDMA-exposed rats and both control groups.

TXT Me I'm Only Sleeping: Adolescents With Mobile Phones in Their Bedroom.

Adachi-Mejia AM et al. · 2014

The study aimed to determine if mobile phones interfere with adolescent sleep, and researchers conducted a pilot test in a pediatric primary care practice with 454 patients aged 12 to 20 years, half female, attending a well-child visit. Adolescents completed paper-and-pencil surveys in the waiting room. More than half took their mobile phone to bed (62.9%) and kept it turned on while sleeping (56.8%). More than one-third texted after going to bed (36.7%), and 7.9% were awakened by a text two or more times per week. Almost half used their phone as their alarm (45.7%).

Does exposure to GSM 900 MHz mobile phone radiation affect short-term memory of elementary school students?

Movvahedi MM et al. · 2014

Researchers enrolled 60 elementary school children aged 8 to 10 years in Shiraz, Iran. They used standardized computer-based tests of visual reaction time and short-term memory modified for children. Each test was repeated ten times in both real and sham exposure phases with a 30 min interval between phases. After a 10 min talk period, mean short-term memory scores were higher than after sham exposure (P = 0.030). Mean reaction times did not differ significantly between talk and sham exposure (P = 0.629).

Evaluation of selected biochemical parameters in the saliva of young males using mobile phones

Abu Khadra KM, Khalil AM, Abu Samak M, Aljaberi A. · 2014

Researchers evaluated biochemical parameters in the saliva of 12 young males before and after using a mobile phone. The phone emitted radio frequency signals of 1800 MHz with a 1.09 w/kg specific absorption rate, and participants used it for 15 and 30 minutes. SOD levels followed a quadratic trend, rising after 15 minutes of talking but then dropping as talking time increased. The researchers suggested that exposure to electromagnetic radiation may exert an oxidative stress on human cells, as evidenced by the increase in the concentration of the superoxide radical anion released in the saliva of cell phone users.

Does Exposure to a Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Modify Thermal Preference in Juvenile Rats?

Pelletier A et al. · 2014

Researchers recorded thermal preference and sleep in 18 young male Wistar rats, with nine exposed to a low-intensity RF-EMF at 900 MHz and nine serving as non-exposed controls. During the light period, exposed rats preferred to sleep at an air temperature of 31°C while controls preferred 28°C. During the dark period, no significant differences between groups were found.

Liver antioxidant stores protect the brain from electromagnetic radiation (900 and 1800 MHz)-induced oxidative stress in rats during pregnancy and the development of offspring.

Cetin H et al. · 2014

Researchers divided thirty-two rats and their offspring into three groups: a control group, a 900 MHz group, and an 1800 MHz group, with the two exposed groups receiving electromagnetic radiation for 60 minutes per day during pregnancy and neonatal development. Brain and liver glutathione peroxidase activities, as well as liver vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations, decreased in the exposed groups. Brain iron, vitamin A, and beta-carotene concentrations increased in the exposed groups, and by the sixth week, selenium concentrations in the brain decreased in the exposed groups. There were no statistically significant differences in glutathione, vitamin E, chromium, copper, magnesium, manganese, and zinc concentrations between the three groups.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children

Guxens M et al. · 2013

Researchers assessed the association between maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and teacher-reported and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 5. A total of 2618 children were included in the study. Prenatal cell phone use showed an increased but non-significant association with teacher-reported overall behaviour problems, without a dose-response relationship. Cordless phone use showed odds ratios below 1 or close to unity for teacher-reported overall behaviour problems. Associations with maternal-reported overall behaviour problems and specific behaviour problem subscales were non-significant.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

In Situ Expression of Heat-Shock Proteins and 3-Nitrotyrosine in Brains of Young Rats Exposed to a WiFi Signal In Utero and In Early Life

Aït-Aïssa S et al. · 2013

Researchers investigated bioeffects of WiFi signals on developing nervous systems of young rodents by assessing expression levels of 3-Nitrotyrosine, Hsp25, and Hsp70. Daily 2-hour exposures were performed blind in a reverberation chamber at whole-body specific absorption rates of 0, 0.08, 0.4, and 4 W/kg. No significant difference was observed among exposed and sham-exposed groups. The results suggest repeated WiFi exposure during gestation and early life has no deleterious effects on young rat brains.

Complexities of sibling analysis when exposures and outcomes change with time and birth order.

Sudan M, Kheifets LI, Arah OA, Divan HA, Olsen J. · 2013

The study demonstrated complexities of performing a sibling analysis with a re-examination of associations between cell phone exposures and behavioral problems in the Danish National Birth Cohort. The association of behavioral problems with prenatal and postnatal exposure differed between siblings (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.69-1.66) and non-siblings (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.36-1.74). Within siblings, the association was strongest for first-born children (OR: 1.72; 95% CI: 0.86-3.42) and negative for later-born children (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.31-1.25). The study included 52,680 children, including 5,441 siblings, followed up to age 7. Researchers estimated associations between cell phone exposures and behavioral problems while accounting for the random family effect among siblings.

Environmental risk factors for cancers of the brain and nervous system: the use of ecological data to generate hypotheses.

de Vocht F, Hannam K, Buchan I. · 2013

Researchers used open-access databases to explore links between potential risk factors and brain and nervous system cancers at an ecological level across 165 countries. National age-adjusted cancer incidence rates from GLOBOCAN 2008 were combined with United Nations Development Report and World Bank data and analyzed using multivariate regression models. 2008 national incidences of brain and nervous system cancers were associated with continent, gross national income in 2008 and Human Development Index Score. The only exogenous risk factor consistently associated with higher incidence was mobile/cellular telecommunications subscription penetration. According to these ecological results the latency period is at least 11-12 years, but probably more than 20 years.

Mobile phone use, blood lead levels, and attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms in children: a longitudinal study.

Byun YH et al. · 2013

Researchers conducted a longitudinal study of 2,422 children in 10 Korean cities to examine the association between mobile phone use and ADHD symptoms while considering lead exposure. They found that mobile phone use for voice calls was linked to higher ADHD symptom risk, but only among children with relatively high lead exposure. The results suggest that simultaneous exposure to lead and RF from mobile phone use was associated with increased ADHD symptom risk, though reverse causality could not be excluded.

Specific absorption rate variation in a brain phantom due to exposure by a 3G mobile phone: problems in dosimetry.

Behari J, Nirala JP. · 2013

A SAR measurement system was developed for a brain phantom in a Perspex box. The phantom box volume matched a small rat and was illuminated by a 3G mobile phone at 1718.5 MHz. A moving platform changed the phone's angular position at 2 degrees per minute up to 20 degrees while induced fields were measured. SAR values computed from induced fields were higher than those from induced field measurements alone and varied with angular position, but remained well below human safety criteria. SAR was also measured by temperature rise and compared with the induced-field results, and measurements were repeated in a 10 g phantom in a cubical box for safety criteria comparison.

Cell phone exposures and hearing loss in children in the Danish National Birth Cohort

Sudan M, Kheifets L, Arah OA, Olsen J. · 2013

The Danish National Birth Cohort enrolled pregnant women from 1996 to 2002 and conducted detailed interviews at multiple time points up to age 7. Researchers used three statistical methods to examine cell phone use at age 7 in relation to hearing loss at age 7. Weak associations were observed, with odds ratios of 1.21, 1.23, and 1.22 from the three models. The authors cautioned that biases could affect the findings and that the results are not sufficient to conclude an effect of cell phone exposures on hearing.

Effect of a single 30 min UMTS mobile phone‐like exposure on the thermal pain threshold of young healthy volunteers.

Vecsei Z, Csathó A, Thuróczy G, Hernádi I · 2013

Researchers tested the effects of UMTS RF EMF exposure on the thermal pain threshold of 20 young adult volunteers, measuring responses on the surface of the fingers. The exposure lasted 30 minutes and was applied to the head through a patch antenna, with SAR kept constant at 1.75 W/kg. Thermal pain thresholds were intact, but a reduced desensitization effect between repeated stimulations was observed on the contralateral side during genuine UMTS exposure. Subjective pain ratings were marginally decreased in the genuine exposure condition only.

Whole body exposure to 2.4 GHz WIFI signals: Effects on cognitive impairment in adult triple transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (3xTg-AD)

Banaceur S, Banasr S, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H · 2013

Researchers studied the effects of 2.4 GHz radiofrequency signals on wildtype mice and triple transgenic mice bred to develop Alzheimer's-like cognitive impairment. Mice were exposed two hours per day during one month at a Specific Absorption Rate of 1.60 W/kg. The researchers reported that radiofrequency exposure improved cognitive behavior in the 3xTg-AD mice.

Cancer & TumorsNo Effects Found115 citations

Mobile phone use and incidence of glioma in the Nordic countries 1979-2008: consistency check.

Deltour I et al. · 2012

Researchers analyzed annual age-standardized glioma incidence rates in men and women aged 20 to 79 years in the Nordic countries from 1979 to 2008 using joinpoint regression, including 35,250 cases. Incidence rates decreased in young men since 1987, remained stable in middle-aged men, and increased slightly in older men, with an overall annual percent change of 0.4% in men and 0.3% in women. Simulations indicated that relative risks of 2.0 for up to 15 years, 1.5 for up to 10 years, and 1.2 for up to 5 years for all users, as well as risks of 2.0 for up to 5 years for heavy users, were incompatible with observed trends.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

No effects of short‐term GSM mobile phone radiation on cerebral blood flow measured using positron emission tomography

Kwon MS et al. · 2012

Researchers investigated effects of 902.4 MHz GSM radiation on cerebral blood flow using PET with 15O-water tracer. Fifteen young healthy men were exposed to radiation at three head locations and sham exposure while performing a visual task. Exposure caused slight ear canal temperature rise but did not affect brain hemodynamics or task performance. Results showed no evidence of acute effects on cerebral blood flow.

Prenatal and Postnatal Cell Phone Exposures and Headaches in Children.

Sudan M, Kheifets L, Arah O, Olsen J, Zeltzer L. · 2012

Researchers used data from the Danish National Birth Cohort, which enrolled pregnant women from 1996 to 2002, and assessed children at age seven via maternal questionnaire. They analyzed 52,680 children using multivariable adjusted models to relate prenatal only, postnatal only, or both prenatal and postnatal cell phone exposure to migraines and headache-related symptoms. Children with both prenatal and postnatal exposure had higher odds of migraines (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.01-1.68) and headache-related symptoms (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.23-1.40) compared to unexposed children.

What This Means for You

  1. Place the baby monitor as far from the crib as possible while still maintaining audio/video quality.
  2. Consider a wired baby monitor or one with low-EMF mode if available.
  3. Turn off the monitor when not needed - avoid running it 24/7.
  4. Use shielding near the crib for additional protection. SYB Baby Blanket

Frequently Asked Questions

Wireless monitors transmit radiofrequency energy, in the same general category as phones, routers and cordless phones. Analog units transmit continuously on a fixed frequency; digital and DECT models transmit in pulses, and some keep transmitting even when the room is quiet. A wired camera does not transmit at all. No study in this collection measured emissions from baby monitors specifically.
No study here examined baby monitors and infants, so the question has not been directly answered by research. The adjacent evidence is mixed in strength: radiofrequency exposure produced DNA strand breaks in rat brain cells at 1.2 W/kg (Lai and Singh 1996), tissue properties governing absorption differ with age (Peyman 2001), and a population living near base stations at very low measured exposure showed effects on wellbeing the authors could not rule out (Hutter 2006). That supports sensible placement rather than avoiding monitors.
A wired camera monitor transmits nothing. Among wireless options, a model that transmits only when triggered by sound spends far less time emitting than one transmitting continuously. Whatever the model, distance matters more than the specification: several feet of separation between the transmitter and the crib reduces the energy reaching the child more than any feature comparison will.
As far as still lets it do its job — across the room rather than on the crib rail. Radiofrequency intensity falls steeply as separation increases, so the first few feet deliver most of the benefit. Monitors are designed to work at room distance, which makes this the rare precaution that costs nothing in function.

Further Reading

For a comprehensive exploration of EMF health effects and practical protection strategies, explore these books by R Blank and Dr. Martin Blank.