Mobile telephone use is associated with changes in cognitive function in young adolescents.
Abramson MJ, Benke GP, Dimitriadis C, Inyang IO, Sim MR, Wolfe RS, Croft RJ. · 2009
View Original AbstractHeavy mobile phone use in adolescents correlates with faster but less accurate cognitive responses, suggesting behavioral rather than biological effects.
Plain English Summary
Australian researchers tested cognitive function in 317 seventh-grade students and found that those who made more mobile phone calls performed differently on thinking tasks. Students with higher phone use showed faster but less accurate responses on complex cognitive tests, along with poorer working memory. However, since texting showed similar patterns, the researchers concluded these changes likely resulted from behavioral adaptations to frequent phone use rather than radiofrequency radiation exposure.
Why This Matters
This study offers valuable insights into how mobile phone use affects developing minds, though perhaps not in the way you might expect. The researchers found cognitive changes in heavy phone users, but their analysis suggests these stem from behavioral conditioning rather than RF exposure itself. What this means for you: the 'faster but less accurate' response pattern mirrors the rapid-fire, multitasking nature of mobile phone interactions. The reality is that our devices may be training our brains to prioritize speed over accuracy, particularly concerning given that these were 13-year-olds whose cognitive development is still in progress. While this study doesn't demonstrate direct RF health effects, it highlights how our relationship with mobile technology shapes fundamental thinking patterns during critical developmental years.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to observe Mobile telephone use is associated with changes in cognitive function in young adolescents.
We recruited 317, 7th grade students (144 boys, 173 girls, median age 13 years) from 20 schools arou...
The accuracy of working memory was poorer, reaction time for a simple learning task shorter, associa...
The findings were similar for total short message service (SMS, also known as text) messages per week, suggesting these cognitive changes were unlikely due to radiofrequency (RF) exposure. Overall, mobile phone use was associated with faster and less accurate responding to higher level cognitive tasks. These behaviours may have been learned through frequent use of a mobile phone.
Show BibTeX
@article{mj_2009_mobile_telephone_use_is_1801,
author = {Abramson MJ and Benke GP and Dimitriadis C and Inyang IO and Sim MR and Wolfe RS and Croft RJ.},
title = {Mobile telephone use is associated with changes in cognitive function in young adolescents.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19644978/},
}