As a father of three children, there are few things in life more important than protecting my children. And it’s true that nothing short of vigilance and preparation are sufficient for the task.
Today I want to talk about something that we (as dads) might be overlooking, something that, unbeknownst to us, might be harming our kids.
Cell Phones are Terrible, But Perhaps Not in the Way You Think
It should come as no surprise to any parent that cell phones pose significant risks to our children. Many studies prove this fact. When we talk of kids and cell phones, however, we are usually referring to the endless stream of garbage that children watch on social media sites like TikTok or Instagram.
These sites are built to keep the eyes glued and the fingers swiping.
Highly addictive even for adults, these apps find ready prey in our still developing and highly impressionable children. Like flies before a shining light, they become captive to the screen, not perceiving that death is their fate, the death of thinking.
As bleak as this may sound, which it is, this particular risk is not the danger that I want to address. TikTok and Instagram are toxic, for sure, and we must guard our children against them.
But this is not my present concern, for I’m sure any average dad would at least agree to some extent regarding the destructive nature of these sorts of apps and do something to curb their influence on his children.
What I see as the greater danger, because it is less apparent, is the use of the cell phone itself, or more specifically, the Wi-Fi and cellular radiation constantly bombarding our bodies, especially our faces, and more importantly, our brains, when we use our cell phones.
The radiation I speak of is Electromagnetic Radiation, or EMF. To be sure, EMF is pernicious because it is invisible. Like carbon monoxide, it has no odor, taste, or color. Not as quick as carbon monoxide in its impact, it is, nevertheless, lethal, the effects taking years or even decades to manifest.
Test EMF
I urge any of you fathers to try to gauge EMF in your home. You will need an EMF reader like the Trifield TF2 or the EMFields Acoustimeter. The one I use is Safe Living Technologies’ Safe and Sound Pro 2.
Put one of these meters to your cell phone and the EMF device will quickly detect the barrage of EMF pulsing from the phone, radiating out several feet. This means that as we hold our phones to swipe through apps or make calls, that radiation is hitting our bodies, especially our faces and hands.
Don’t think you’re safe when the phone is not in use. It’s still pulsing with EMF as long as your Wi-Fi, cellular, and bluetooth signals are on. The same goes for iPads, computers, and any other device or appliance running on Wi-Fi. Distance from EMF is key. Thus, it’s never a good idea to hold a cell phone to your ear or keep it in your pocket.
If at this point, you are incredulous, I urge you to commence your own research. If your children use cell phones, iPads, or computers with WiFi or cellular, I would argue not only that you should do the research, but that you must do it.
It is your responsibility, your obligation, your duty as the protector of your children to be informed, to know the dangers, and to count the costs before ever exposing your children to any potential harm. Anything less is dereliction of duty.
EMF is Particularly Harmful for Kids
That said, how this EMF affects our bodies is difficult to ascertain precisely. But again, the research is out there.
What we can say for sure is that EMF can’t be good in the same way that CT scans and X-rays can’t be good for us.
Some studies have linked it to diseases and cancer. Others have linked it to autism, depression, ADHD, and other mental health issues. We don’t know for sure, but I find these studies to be more convincing than not, and my protective instincts inform me to keep my children away from EMF at all costs.
This radiation has a particularly damaging effect on children’s brains. In the book EMF*D, the author Joseph Mercola explains just how terrible the EMF from cell phones and computers are to children for the following reasons:
1) their thinner skulls allow for more EMF to penetrate and enter the brain,
2) their brains, because they are not fully developed, contain more water than fat, making them more susceptible to radiation absorption,
3) the distance that the EMF radiation has to travel is shorter for a child than for an adult, and
4) their smaller ears aren’t as effective as a buffer as are adult ears
If you’d like to know more, I’d recommend you read EMF*D. It’s a great place to start. In it, he cites many studies to support his claims about the damage EMF is causing.
EMF is a peril that in many ways we’ve come to accept without much thought because we’ve been sold on the conveniences that the internet has to offer.
Here’s an exchange between Joe Rogan and RFK Jr. on the matter.
EMF is Everywhere
EMF is everywhere. Every time you go to the store, you are exposed to EMF. Any time you are next to a person using his cell phone, you are exposed. Any time you are anywhere where there is a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot available, you are being hit with EMF.
Our towns and cities have become hotspots for EMF. With the advent of 5G and even 6G, we can expect the situation to worsen.
We can’t avoid it entirely, but at the very least, we can protect our homes and limit our exposure when we’re out.
In my next post, I’ll talk about the things I’ve done and the things you can do in your homes to limit EMF radiation.
