Ho, Ho, No! Why iPads And iPhones Are Not Kids' Toys

Cell phones and iPads rank as the most-wanted gifts of the season among youngsters, with 65% placing these devices at the top of their wish lists, according to SodaHead.com, a discussion community with more than 10 million visitors a month.

However, those clamoring to stuff their kids’ holiday stockings with the latest electronic gadgets would do well to ponder experts’ warnings before buying one, advises Environmental Health Trust (EHT) and Healthy Child Healthy World, non-profit research and educational groups. Would you give your child the keys to the car or a shot of whiskey just because she really wanted it?

Should you get your young child that chillin’ shiny iPad/tablet, or buy your baby her own cell phone with a handy rattle casing so that she won’t break it when it gets dropped? After all, cell phone prices have dropped, making them ideal gifts. “What harm could it do to youngsters to have such a cool, hot gadget - especially one with which they can learn to read, see movies, or just play Angry Birds? The answer is: plenty,” advises EHT founder Dr. Devra Davis.

Few people appreciate that all of these wireless devices come with manufacturers' fine print warnings not to hold them next to an adult body, or that controlled studies show that microwave radiation from cell phones weaken the brain's protective barrier and produce fewer and more damaged offspring and sperm. The kicker is this: All safety warnings for cell phones (e.g., "keep 0.98 inches from the body") were designed to protect a less-than-typical user: namely, a large fellow with a big head who talks on his phone for less than half an hour a day.

According to a recently published scientific report from EHT, children's heads absorb twice as much microwave radiation from cell phones as adults. Radiation from cell phones carried in shirts or pants pockets of adults is four to seven times higher than the guidelines set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. For the smaller bodies of children, of course, levels would be even much greater.

The reason for the discrepancy, EHT says, is that the process to determine radiation from cell phones is modeled on a 6-foot 2-inch tall, 220-pound man, with an eleven-pound head. Because this large skull represents only about three percent of the population, the test cannot accurately predict the radiation exposure of the other 97 percent, including children, nor does it even try to estimate exposures from pocket use.

"The standard for cell phones has been developed based on old science, old models and old assumptions about how we use cell phones, and that's why they need to change and protect our children and grandchildren," said Dr. Davis.

Why iPad Is the 'Children's Toy of the Year' Have you ever seen a 4-year-old play with an iPhone? It's actually kind of shocking. Kids take to the iPhone's multitouch user interface like they do trucks or dolls. They instinctively know that the iPhone is a toy, and they nag, cajole and harass their parents into letting them play with it.