The relationship between adolescents' well-being and their wireless phone use: a cross-sectional study
Redmayne M, Smith E, and Abramson MJ · 2013
View Original AbstractAdolescents using wireless phones for just 15 minutes daily showed significantly increased rates of headaches, depression, and sleep disruption.
Plain English Summary
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.
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},
}