Are mobile phones bad for children's health?

The scientific consensus is that mobile phones are not a threat to the health of children or adults. The Department of Health does, however, recommend limiting the use of mobile phones by children as a precautionary measure. The reason for this is that if there are any currently unrecognised health effects, children may be more vulnerable because their nervous systems are still developing and they have a longer lifetime usage.

The Department of Health advises that children and young people under 16 should:

Use mobile phones for essential purposes only
Keep all calls short

The independent agencies that have defined our network's safety guidelines include:

The Radiation Protection Division of the UK Health Protection Agency (formerly the National Radiological Protection Board)

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)

The European Commission

Measurements by regulators in the UK show that our masts and base stations operate well below the guidelines, often by hundreds or thousands of times. We frequently review our practices to ensure that we comply with all existing and new advice, as well as with the UK industry's self-regulatory Ten Commitments on mast siting. For more information, visit the website of the Mobile Operators Association

Committed to keeping you informed

Research into the issue of mobile phones and health is ongoing. But while we can't yet give you all the definitive, conclusive answers, we can tell you the facts as they stand today. We also remain committed to keeping our customers informed, so watch this space for updates as and when they appear.

On the 12th September 2007, the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research published a report that summarises the findings of the first phase of a research into the health effects of mobile use. The report says that none of the research supported by the programme and published so far, demonstrates any adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones. The findings of this latest report are consistent with more than 30 independent scientific reviews published in the UK and around the world during the last six years.

Sensible mobile spending

A lot of parents get worried about the amount of money their children spend on mobile phones. This is an understandable concern. It's important to keep an eye on your children's mobile phone spending and, where possible, try to teach them to be sensible.

If you're getting a premium rate subscription service, remember that you may have to pay more money to keep using it. You can text the word 'STOP' back to the company providing the service to stop it.

Some ways to help keep the bills down

It costs money to enter competitions, order products like ring tones, wallpapers and alerts, or text a key word to vote on a TV show. Many of these services are charged at a premium rate. Make sure you know exactly what you're getting and how much you're going to have to pay for it.
Premium rate voice calls can be blocked on request.
Read the small print or the terms and conditions of anything you buy. If it all sounds too good to be true, that's probably because it is!
Check that you have enough credit when you buy something with your phone. If you don't, it will come out of your next top-up.
Some services and products are not compatible with some phones - there's no point in paying for something that won't work on your phone.
Phone companies know what numbers you have dialled and what texts you've sent. If you have agreed to using a service, you will be responsible for paying the bill

We're here to help too

You can phone O2 customer service on 0870 521 4000 and ask for advice on mobile phone spending. We'll be able to look at your child's bills with you, assess them and then discuss ways of saving money using the O2 Best Plan Advice.