Cell phones as a new "security blanket?"

[healthy11]

According to an article in the Nov./Dec. 2010 AARP magazine, where kids used to sleep with teddy bears, "Now 78% of 12 and 13-year-olds who own cell phones have gone nighty-night with them at their sides."

(My son is older, but has anyone marketed a soft stuffed animal that has a pouch for a cell phone in it? If not, there's a business opportunity for you!)

[Mayleng]

you may have something there. LOL

[cecekingskid]

My dd (15) has ruined more wall charger cables this way. Wild sleeper and the phone is constantly in bed with her. She uses the phone as a alarm clock.

[healthy11]

My son also uses his cell phone as an alarm clock, but he hasn't ruined any chargers, that I know of. I believe his hooks up and charges via a USB cable to his laptop. He keeps it on the desk, which is next to his bed, but NOT in bed.

[bros]

I use an alarm clock as an alarm clock.

[dihicks6]

Sir Ray is my alarm clock! I have used my cell phone for an alarm clock a few times.

[snapplema]

Well, that would be all nice if it were not for the fact that there is something called cell phone radiation.

Before you buy a cell phone, please check what is its SAR (The Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) is a measure of how much radiation is absorbed by the body when the phone is sending a signal to the network.). If it's over 1- don't buy this phone.

I think US set the max allowable radiation at about 1.5 - but since cell phones have not been in constant use for so long, there is really no reliable data how much is too much. So our approach should be : the less the better.

I did a lot of reading on the subject last year - cell phone radiation is especially harmful to children because the area most exposed to it is the brain - in this case their developing brain.

But for everybody - sleeping with your cell phone might be the worst idea. Especially if cell phone is close to your head. Please note that your cell phone is communicating with a Cell Tower many times during one minute - cell phone does not just lie there and do nothing. Even if you use it as an alarm clock -

If we have to, we should get for our kids a cell phone with lowest possible SAR. Also, we should encourage them (and ourselves) to use a land line when making / receiving phone calls from home.

If we have to talk on a cell phone, try not to press cell phone to your head - rather, keep it as far away from the ear as possible. Metal intensifies radiation - so try not to use your cell when you are inside a car or a bus. Also, try keep your cell phone conversation short -

Theoretically, texting is more safe than talking on cell phone-since the phone is not so close to your head then -

Finally, we should also carry our cell phone as far away from our body as possible. SAR actually has 2 values - one is Body SAR and the other one is Head SAT.

For boys, it is not always a good idea to keep cell phone in their side pant pocket. Keep cell phone away from your vital organs. Testicles are especially vulnerable to microwave radiation- so if we want to have grandchildren one day - let's warn our boys-.

I realize that some of this advice may not seem practical in the world we live in. But also, we tend to use cell phones mindlessly and unnecessarily - even when we can make a phone call from our home land line. If someone calls my cell phone when I am at home and I know who that is - I don't even pick up - I just call them right away from my land line.

There is a lot of information about this subject on Internet- if anyone is interested.

[dihicks6]

I checked mine out -- 1.24 -- yikes!!! Good thing I don't use it constantly. Maybe 3-4 calls per day.

Here's a chart I found:

www.sarshield.com/english/radiationchart.htm