Hyperactivity in Kids Linked to Cell Phone Use of Moms During Pregnancy
A new study found a link between children's hyperactivity and their mothers' constant cell phone usage while being pregnant. However, scientists couldn't agree on the main cause. Some research suggests mobile phones emit harmful radio waves but there are those who believe parenting style is more to blame.
A team of researchers analyzed 83,884 mother-child pairs from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Korea from 1996 to 2011 and found hyperactivity among 5- to 7-year-old children of mothers who were constant cell phone users during their pregnancy.
The study specifically found that speaking on the cell phone more than four times a day or for over an hour while expecting increases hyperactivity in the offspring by 28 percent. Children whose mothers never used a cell phone while pregnant have the lowest risk of behavioral problems.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
But the global research couldn't pinpoint what it is in cell phone usage by expectant mothers that causes emotional problems for their children. This prompted Dr. Robin Hansen, a pediatrician and professor at the University of California, to note that the report raised more questions than it answered.
"Is it something about the cellphone itself? Is it something that impacts your parenting behavior? ... Is it the electronic signals that go through your brain and your body or how it changes your interactions with your child postnatally? ... Those are issues that can't be answered by this study," she said.
Hansen, who was not involved in the study, believes that mothers' preoccupation with their mobile phone causes attention-seeking in children.
"It reinforces hyperactive, attention-getting behavior," she said. "It's not until you cry or you throw something or make a lot of noise that your parents shift their attention from the cellphone to you."
For her part, lead author Laura Birks advised expectant mothers to interpret the result of their research with caution and moderation. She conceded that there is no known biological mechanism that could lead prenatally emitted cell phone radiation to promote hyperactivity in the offspring.
