3,138 Studies Reviewed. 77.4% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Research Guide

WiFi in Schools: What Research Says About Children's Health

Based on 375 peer-reviewed studies

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Schools have rapidly adopted WiFi technology, exposing children to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields for 6-8 hours daily throughout their developmental years. This widespread exposure has prompted researchers to investigate potential health effects specific to children.

Children are not simply small adults when it comes to EMF exposure. Their skulls are thinner, their brain tissue has higher water content, and their nervous systems are still developing. These factors may make children more susceptible to any effects of RF-EMF exposure.

Here we examine the research on children, WiFi-frequency radiation, and health outcomes relevant to the school environment.

Key Research Findings

  • Children's brains absorb significantly more RF radiation than adult brains
  • Studies report effects on memory and attention in RF-exposed children
  • Cumulative exposure over school years raises unique considerations

Related Studies (375)

Chronic exposure to low-intensity magnetic field improves acquisition and maintenance of memory.

Liu T, Wang S, He L, Ye K. · 2008

Researchers exposed rats to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (similar to power lines) for 4 weeks and found the animals performed better on memory tests. The exposed rats learned spatial tasks faster and retained memories longer than unexposed rats. This unexpected finding suggests that certain EMF exposures might enhance rather than impair brain function under specific conditions.

Effect of electric field in conditioned aversion response.

Harakawa S et al. · 2008

Researchers exposed rats to 50 Hz electric fields (the same frequency as household electricity) while training them to avoid bright environments. The electric field exposure interfered with the rats' ability to learn this avoidance behavior, suggesting the fields affected either their vision or brain function. This indicates that mammals can sense and be neurologically affected by electric fields at levels similar to those found near power lines.

Cognitive impairment in rats after long-term exposure to GSM-900 mobile phone radiation.

Nittby H et al. · 2008

Swedish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (GSM-900) for 2 hours weekly over more than a year, using power levels similar to what your phone emits. The exposed rats showed significantly impaired memory, specifically struggling to remember objects and when they encountered them compared to unexposed control rats. This suggests that chronic low-level cell phone radiation exposure may affect cognitive function and memory formation.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Pulsed and continuous wave mobile phone exposure over left versus right hemisphere: Effects on human cognitive function.

Haarala C et al. · 2007

Finnish researchers exposed 36 healthy men to mobile phone radiation at two different power levels (continuous and pulsed waves) while they performed cognitive tests, comparing left-brain versus right-brain exposure. They found no measurable effects on thinking abilities, reaction times, or other brain functions from either type of phone radiation. This suggests that typical mobile phone use doesn't impair basic cognitive performance in healthy adults.

Sleep & Circadian RhythmNo Effects Found

Effects of short- and long-term pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on night sleep and cognitive functions in healthy subjects.

Fritzer G et al. · 2007

German researchers exposed 10 healthy young men to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (similar to cell phone radiation) for six consecutive nights while monitoring their sleep patterns and cognitive performance. The study found no significant effects on sleep quality, brain wave patterns during sleep, or mental function tests. This suggests that short-term RF exposure at the levels tested does not disrupt sleep or thinking abilities in healthy individuals.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effects of pulsed and continuous wave 902 MHz mobile phone exposure on brain oscillatory activity during cognitive processing.

Krause CM, Pesonen M, Haarala Björnberg C, Hämäläinen H. · 2007

Finnish researchers exposed 72 men to 902 MHz mobile phone radiation while they performed memory tasks, measuring brain wave patterns through EEG. The study found only modest, inconsistent effects on brain oscillations in the alpha frequency range, with no impact on actual memory performance. The researchers concluded that any brain wave changes from phone radiation appear to be subtle, variable, and difficult to replicate consistently.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Pulsed and continuous wave mobile phone exposure over left versus right hemisphere: Effects on human cognitive function

Haarala C et al. · 2007

Finnish researchers tested whether mobile phone radiation affects thinking skills by having 36 men perform cognitive tasks while exposed to different types of phone signals on either the left or right side of their heads. They found no measurable differences in mental performance between real phone radiation exposure and fake exposure, regardless of which side of the head was exposed. The study suggests that typical mobile phone use doesn't impair basic cognitive functions like memory or attention in healthy adults.

Sleep & Circadian RhythmNo Effects Found

Effects of short- and long-term pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on night sleep and cognitive functions in healthy subjects.

Fritzer G et al. · 2007

German researchers exposed 10 healthy young men to pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic fields during sleep for six consecutive nights, measuring both sleep quality and cognitive performance. They found no significant effects on sleep patterns, brain wave activity, or mental function compared to baseline measurements. This suggests that short-term RF exposure during sleep may not immediately disrupt these biological processes in healthy adults.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use

Arns M, Van Luijtelaar G, Sumich A, Hamilton R, Gordon E · 2007

Researchers analyzed brain activity patterns in 300 people based on their mobile phone usage frequency, measuring brain waves and cognitive function. They found subtle slowing of brain activity in frequent phone users, though these changes remained within normal ranges. The study also showed that heavy phone users had better executive function, possibly due to practicing focused attention during calls in distracting environments.

Effects of pulsed and continuous wave 902 MHz mobile phone exposure on brain oscillatory activity during cognitive processing.

Krause CM, Pesonen M, Haarala Bjornberg C, Hamalainen H. · 2007

Finnish researchers exposed 72 men to cell phone radiation at 902 MHz while they performed memory tasks, measuring brain wave activity through EEG recordings. The study found that phone radiation caused subtle changes in brain oscillations (electrical activity patterns) in the alpha frequency range, though these effects were inconsistent and didn't affect actual task performance. This adds to growing evidence that cell phone radiation can influence brain activity, even when users don't notice any immediate behavioral changes.

Cancer & Tumors101 citations

Radio-frequency radiation exposure from AM radio transmitters and childhood leukemia and brain cancer.

Ha M, Im H, Lee M, Kim HJ, Kim BC, Gimm YM, Pack JK. · 2007

Researchers in South Korea studied nearly 6,000 children to examine whether living near AM radio transmitters increases cancer risk. They found that children living within 2 kilometers of high-power AM radio towers had more than double the risk of developing leukemia compared to children living more than 20 kilometers away. This suggests that radio frequency radiation from broadcasting towers may contribute to childhood blood cancers.

Electroencephalographic, personality, and executive function measures associated with frequent mobile phone use.

Arns M, Van Luijtelaar G, Sumich A, Hamilton R, Gordon E. · 2007

Researchers analyzed brain activity patterns in 300 people based on their mobile phone usage frequency and duration. They found that frequent phone users showed subtle slowing of brain waves (electrical activity in the brain) compared to light users, though these changes remained within normal ranges. Interestingly, heavy phone users also demonstrated better executive function skills, possibly from the mental training of making calls in distracting environments.

Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations.

Abdel-Rassoul G et al. · 2007

Researchers studied 85 people living near Egypt's first cell tower and compared them to 80 people living farther away. Those living near the tower experienced significantly higher rates of headaches, memory problems, dizziness, depression, and sleep issues, plus showed measurable declines in attention and memory tests. This occurred even though radiation levels were below government safety standards.

Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations

Abdel-Rassoul G et al. · 2007

Researchers studied 85 people living near Egypt's first mobile phone base station and compared them to 80 people living farther away. Those living closest to the tower showed significantly higher rates of headaches (23.5% vs 10%), memory problems (28.2% vs 5%), dizziness, depression, and sleep disturbances, plus measurable changes in cognitive test performance. This suggests that even low-level radiofrequency radiation from cell towers may affect brain function and neurological health.

Effects of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field of 1 mT on the performance of detour learning task by chicks.

Che Y, Sun H, Cui Y, Zhou D, Ma Y. · 2007

Researchers exposed young chicks to magnetic fields from power lines for 20 hours daily and tested their learning ability. Chicks with prolonged exposure showed significantly impaired learning and memory compared to unexposed chicks, suggesting extended magnetic field exposure may interfere with brain development.

Influence of extremely low frequency magnetic fields on Ca2+ signaling and NMDA receptor functions in rat hippocampus

Manikonda PK et al. · 2007

Researchers exposed young rats to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency used in power lines) for 90 days and found significant changes in brain chemistry, specifically disrupted calcium signaling in the hippocampus, the brain region critical for memory and learning. The magnetic field exposure altered the activity of key enzymes and reduced the function of NMDA receptors, which are essential for memory formation. These findings suggest that chronic exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields may interfere with normal brain function and memory processes.

Effects of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field of 1 mT on the performance of detour learning task by chicks

Che Y, Sun H, Cui Y, Zhou D, Ma Y. · 2007

Researchers exposed young chickens to power line magnetic fields for either 20 hours or 50 minutes daily, then tested their learning ability. Chicks with prolonged exposure showed significant learning problems, while brief exposure caused no harm, suggesting extended magnetic field exposure may impair brain function.

Pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic fields: dose-dependent effects on sleep, the sleep EEG and cognitive performance.

Regel SJ et al. · 2007

Swiss researchers exposed 15 men to cell phone-like radiation at different intensities for 30 minutes before sleep, then monitored their brain activity and cognitive performance. They found that stronger radiation caused measurable changes in brain wave patterns during sleep and slowed reaction times on memory tasks. This demonstrates a dose-response relationship, meaning higher radiation exposure produces more pronounced effects on brain function.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Does acute exposure to mobile phones affect human attention?

Russo R et al. · 2006

Researchers tested 168 people on attention and cognitive tasks while exposed to mobile phone signals (both GSM and continuous wave) versus fake signals. They found no significant differences in performance on reaction time, vigilance, or mental math tasks regardless of which type of signal participants were exposed to or which side of the head the phone was positioned on.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

UMTS Base Station-like Exposure, Well-Being, and Cognitive Performance.

Regel SJ et al. · 2006

Swiss researchers exposed 117 people (including those who claimed sensitivity to electromagnetic fields) to cell tower-like radio frequency signals for 45 minutes at different intensities. They found no meaningful effects on well-being or cognitive performance at any exposure level, even among people who believed they were sensitive to EMF. The study contradicted earlier Dutch research that suggested cell tower exposure could affect well-being.

Further Reading

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