Experts call for action to protect children

A team of eminent scientists, physicians and public health experts warns that today’s children are facing unprecedented risks and say it’s time to do something about it.

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) has outlined the evidence of risk in a new publication and calls on governments and schools to take urgent action to protect children.

‘Scientific research has reported that excessive screen time is jeopardizing children’s mental and physical health, affecting sleep, cognition, academic performance, social and emotional development, brain function, visual health, cardio-metabolic function, and increasing risk of chronic disease, including diabetes,’ the ICBE-EMF says.

Not only that, but it’s interfering with those vital activities that are necessary for health, such as sleep, play, social engagement and spending time outdoors.

It’s also damaging kids’ brains. ‘Heightened screen use in children and adolescents is correlated with reduced grey/white matter volume and other structural brain alterations, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which can lead to impaired executive function and reduced impulse control.’

And it’s not just kids’ screen-based behaviours that are the problem. There’s an invisible risk as well. According to the ICBE-EMF, ‘[s]martphones, tablets, laptops, smart speakers, smart watches, and gaming systems all create RF-EMF exposures from their Wi-Fi, cellular networks, and Bluetooth antennas, while also producing ELF-EMF from their internal electronic circuitry and charging systems.’

While it would be nice to think that children are protected by relevant Australian and international standards, that’s unfortunately not the case. The international (ICNIRP) Guidelines, the foundation for Australia’s standards, are ‘based on ‘outdated, invalid assumptions’, the ICBE-EMF says.

It points to research showing that, even at levels of radiation that comply with these standards, ‘[s]tudies have reported numerous adverse effects, including cancer, oxidative stress, genetic impacts, blood-brain barrier permeability, sperm damage, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, impairments in cognition, learning and memory, sleep impacts, EEG alterations, and other neurological effects as well as multi-systemic acute symptoms, including electromagnetic hypersensitivity.’

Not only is the wireless radiation emitted by wireless devices harmful, but children are more at risk than adults. ‘Because of their thinner skulls, higher water content, and unique physiology, children absorb proportionally higher rates of cell phone radiation compared to adults, as studies have reported exposures up to 30 times greater in the hippocampus and 10 times greater in the bone marrow of the skull,’ the ICBE-EMF says. ‘Similarly, research on cell tower radiation has found that children’s brains can absorb at rates 25–30% greater (up to ~50% at some frequencies).’

And it’s not just children who are at risk from wireless devices. There is also a risk for the unborn foetus. ‘Studies investigating prenatal exposure have reported increased miscarriages, impacts to the brain, decreased memory and cognition, changes in behavior, and altered growth and development. Parental exposure has been shown to affect the morphology and functions of the reproductive organs. These effects could lead to abnormal fetal growth/development and eventually affect the general health of the offspring.’

There’s much that can be done to reverse this repressible state of affairs and the ICBE-EMF paper outlines actions that government and schools can take to ensure our kids are safer in the future.

‘We call on all governments, school authorities, and communities to adopt technology policies that protect children’s health and future,’ the Commission says. ‘Children have the right to grow, learn, and thrive in environments free from avoidable health hazards. The scientific evidence demands preventive action, which is long overdue. The technologies shaping our future should not compromise the health of the next generation.’

ICBE-EMF, Safeguarding Children's Health in the Digital Age: Addressing Screen Time, Wireless Radiation, and Extremely Low Frequency Non-Ionizing Electromagnetic Field Exposures A Position Statement by the International ICBE-EMF on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields’, https://icbe-emf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ICBE-EMF-Child-Health-Cell-Phone-Cell-Tower-EMF-Position-Statement-982026-1.pdf