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The relationship between adolescents' well-being and their wireless phone use: a cross-sectional study

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Redmayne M, Smith E, and Abramson MJ · 2013

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Adolescents using wireless phones for just 15 minutes daily showed significantly increased rates of headaches, depression, and sleep disruption.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

New Zealand researchers studied 400 teenagers' wireless phone use and health symptoms. Students making over 6 calls weekly had 2.4 times higher headache risk, while wireless headset users showed doubled depression and sleep problems. These findings suggest teen phone habits may impact wellbeing.

Why This Matters

This research matters because it documents dose-dependent health effects in the most vulnerable population - developing adolescents whose brains absorb more RF radiation than adults. The study's strength lies in finding far more statistically significant associations than chance would predict, suggesting real biological effects rather than random correlations. What makes these findings particularly concerning is that the exposure levels causing problems - just 6 calls over 10 minutes per week - represent minimal use by today's standards. Most teenagers far exceed these thresholds through calls, texting, gaming, and social media. The research demonstrates that even basic wireless phone use patterns common among adolescents correlate with headaches, depression, sleep problems, and tinnitus - symptoms that can significantly impact academic performance and quality of life during these crucial developmental years.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The exposure of young people to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) has increased rapidly in recent years with their increased use of cellphones and use of cordless phones and WiFi. We sought to ascertain associations between New Zealand early-adolescents’ subjective well-being and self-reported use of, or exposure to, wireless telephone and internet technology.

In this cross-sectional survey, participants completed questionnaires in class about their cellphone...

The number and duration of cellphone and cordless phone calls were associated with increased risk of...

There were more statistically significant associations (36%) than could be expected by chance (5%). Several were dose-dependent relationships. To safeguard young people’s well-being, we suggest limiting their use of cellphones and cordless phones to less than 15 minutes daily, and employing a speaker-phone device for longer daily use. We recommend parental measures are taken to prevent young people being woken by their cellphones.

Cite This Study
Redmayne M, Smith E, and Abramson MJ (2013). The relationship between adolescents' well-being and their wireless phone use: a cross-sectional study Environmental Health 12(1):90, 2013.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2013_the_relationship_between_adolescents_1527,
  author = {Redmayne M and Smith E and and Abramson MJ},
  title = {The relationship between adolescents' well-being and their wireless phone use: a cross-sectional study},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1186/1476-069X-12-90},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1476-069X-12-90},
}
DOI: 10.1186/1476-069X-12-90

Cited By (78 papers)

View all 78 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, a 2013 New Zealand study found teenagers making over 6 cell phone calls weekly had 2.4 times higher headache risk. Cordless phone use over 15 minutes daily also increased headache odds by 74%. The research suggests phone radiation may trigger headaches in teens.
A study of 400 New Zealand teenagers found wireless headset users had double the risk of feeling down or depressed compared to non-users. The research also linked wireless headsets to doubled sleep disruption and increased headaches in adolescents.
Research shows cell phone use disrupts teenage sleep patterns. Students using wireless headsets had 2.4 times higher risk of waking at night, while being woken by phone notifications strongly increased school tiredness by 3.5 times.
Yes, the 2013 study found extended texting and wireless phone use was directly related to painful 'texting thumb' in teenagers. This repetitive strain injury appears linked to frequent thumb movements during phone use and messaging.
Research shows cordless phones increase headache risk by 74% with over 15 minutes daily use. Different frequency bands were linked to tinnitus, depression, and school sleepiness in teenagers, suggesting various health impacts from cordless phone radiation.