How to protect your baby from developmental delays
August 29, 2025
A new study has found that babies living in homes with high levels of radiofrequency (RF/wireless) radiation had more developmental delays than babies living in in homes with low radiation levels.
The researchers monitored 105 babies for a period of one year. This involved assessing their developmental progress in five areas: gross motor, fine motor, communication, personal social and problem solving. They also measured radiation levels in the babies’ homes.
They found that babies in the homes with highest radiation levels had more than 2½ times the delay in fine motor skills and more than 3½ times the delay in problem solving of babies in the ‘low radiation’ group.
‘We found that higher levels of radiation were associated with poorer outcomes for cognitive domains of development such as the problem-solving and personal-social areas,’ the authors said.
Highly exposed babies were also more likely to be flagged for monitoring or referral.
Radiation in the home
The RF radiation that the researchers measured came from sources both inside and outside the homes. They included cordless phones, WiFi devices, Bluetooth devices, as well as mobile phone towers.
- The average radiation level in high-radiation homes was 32.36 mW/m2.
- The average radiation level in medium-radiation homes was 8.66 mW/m2.
- The average radiation level in low-radiation homes was 0.62 mW/m2.
These levels of radiation are far below those allowed by Australian and international standards and are present in many Australian homes.
Exposed babies
The study has huge implications for young children, who are being increasingly exposed to radiation in homes, particularly from mobile phones, tables, modem/routers, smart TVs and baby monitors, as well as wireless children’s toys.
The authors point out that many parents are giving their babies mobile phones to play with. ‘A large proportion of children start using cell phones by the age of one year, and parents themselves give cell phones to the children while doing household work, at bedtime, and to keep them calm,’ they said.
Setia MS, Natesan R, Samant P, Mhapankar S, Kumar S, Singh IV, Nair A, Seth B. Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Emissions and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study. Cureus. 2025 Jul 10;17(7):e87671. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87671. PMID: 40786381; PMCID: PMC12335284.
Protect your kids
Discover what you can do to reduce radiation levels in your home.
Book an online consultation with Australia’s leading EMF consultant here.