July 31, 2021

By Jonathan Haidt and Jean M. Twenge

The authors are psychologists who have spent years studying the effect of smartphones and social media on our daily lives and mental health.

As students return to school in the coming weeks, there will be close attention to their mental health. Many problems will be attributed to the Covid pandemic, but in fact we need to look back further, to 2012.

That’s when rates of teenage depression, loneliness, self-harm and suicide began to rise sharply. By 2019, just before the pandemic, rates of depression among adolescents had nearly doubled.

When we first started to see these trends in our work as psychologists studying Gen Z (those born after 1996), we were puzzled. The U.S. economy was steadily improving over these years, so economic problems stemming from the 2008 Great Recession were not to blame. It was difficult to think of any other national event from the early 2010s that reverberated through the decade.

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/31/opinion/smartphone-iphone-social-media-isolation.html

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Participate in research

Are you between 11 and 99 years old?

The Centre for Chronobiology in Basel (Switzerland) is looking for young people aged 11 years or older to complete a online survey on sleep and light exposure. It will take about 15-20 minutes, and there are no restrictions on country of residence.

Click HERE to participate!

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Citation: Weinzaepflen, C. & Spitschan, M. (Ed.) (2021). Enlighten your clock: How your body tells time. (C. Weinzaepflen, Illus.). DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZQXVH

Free download available from https://enlightenyourclock.org/

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Apply the Precautionary Principle as far as cell phone use is concerned.

•A cell phone is not a toy, it is a radiation emitting device.

•Use by infants and children under the age of two should rather be avoided.

•Children and teenagers under the age of 16 should carry cell phones for emergency purposes only.

•Do not put the phone in the back of the child’s pram/backpack, unless completely switched off.

•Make it a habit not to use the phone in proximity to children.

•Educate teenagers on how to use cell phones in a safer way.

•Switch the cell phone off completely, it does not have to be on 24/7. Even on airplane mode there will be electric and magnetic fields present.

•Put distance between the phone and the head/body. Place the phone on a desk or table and use speakerphone or text.

•Avoid keeping the phone in your trouser pockets, shirt pockets or in your bra, not even on airplane mode.

•Pregnant women and those planning for a baby should be extra careful and limit cell phone use to an absolute minimum.

•Avoid using your phone when the signal is weak, the phone has to work so much harder to make contact with the tower, thus emitting more radiation.

•Avoid using your phone in a car, bus or train.

•Practise EMF Hygiene:

We need to be more responsible in the way we use technology and change our behaviour rather than seeking quick fixes. Beware of products that claim to protect from cell phone radiation. In some cases it can have the adverse effect of making the phone work harder, thus emitting more radiation. In other cases it might only provide partial protection, if any at all.

•Switch the phone off completely at sunset.

•Instead of using a phone as an alarm clock purchase an old fashioned battery operated alarm clock.

•Avoid looking at your phone first thing in the morning, rather go outside and watch the sunrise.

•Install blue light filtering software like Iris Mini.

•Instead of using a phone to access the internet, a safer option is to use a hardwired laptop or computer. Remember not to use the laptop on your lap.

•Some phones can be hardwired. Even so, place distance between the phone and your body/head.

•Air tube headsets without metal can be used but we advise our customers to still aim for “the distance is your friend” rule.

•The SAR value of the phone is only partially helpful, as it merely considers the thermal effect.

•2G and 3G phones are not “safer” per se (the NTP study looked at radio frequency radiation like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones). Rather apply the Precautionary Principle.

Links:

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Dated on November 15, 2019.

The Minister of Solidarities and Health, Agnès Buzyn

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire

Source:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000039385174&categorieLien=id#JORFARTI000039385179

The post France: Decree of November 15, 2019 relating to the display of the specific absorption rate of radio equipment and consumer information appeared first on EMFSA.

The post Reduce Cell Phone Wireless Radiation for Teenagers: Cyprus Committee on Children and the Environment appeared first on EMFSA.

SACRAMENTO – As smartphone use continues to increase in the U.S., especially among children, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today issued guidance for individuals and families who want to decrease their exposure to the radio frequency energy emitted from cell phones. Although the scientific community has not reached a consensus on the risks of cell phone use, research suggests long-term, high use may impact human health.

“Although the science is still evolving, there are concerns among some public health professionals and members of the public regarding long-term, high use exposure to the energy emitted by cell phones,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “We know that simple steps, such as not keeping your phone in your pocket and moving it away from your bed at night, can help reduce exposure for both children and adults.”

Cell phones emit radio frequency energy when they send and receive signals to and from cell towers, and some scientists and public health officials believe this energy may impact human health.

Meanwhile, cell phone use in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent years. About 95 percent of Americans own a cell phone, and 12 percent rely on their smartphones for everyday Internet access. In addition, the average age when children get their first phone is now just 10 years old, and a majority of young people keep their phones on or near them most of the day and while they sleep.

“Children’s brains develop through the teenage years and may be more affected by cell phone use,” said Dr. Smith. “Parents should consider reducing the time their children use cell phones and encourage them to turn the devices off at night.”

The new CDPH guidance Cell-Phone-Guidance includes practical steps both adults and children could take to reduce exposure to radio frequency energy from cell phones. That includes:

• Keeping the phone away from the body
• Reducing cell phone use when the signal is weak
• Reducing the use of cell phones to stream audio or video, or to download or upload large files
• Keeping the phone away from the bed at night
• Removing headsets when not on a call
• Avoiding products that claim to block radio frequency energy. These products may actually increase your exposure.

More information:  Electromagnetic Radiation Safety http://www.saferemr.com/2017/03/cell-phone-safety-guidance-from.html

Image: Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.
Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

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