Online Survey of Children's Understanding of Mobile Phones and EMF: Preliminary Results

Abstract

An ongoing global online survey was initiated in October 2005 to compile and analyse information on the understanding of mobile phone technology and EMF among school children. Since November 2005 and till July 23, 2006, a total of 1,711 responses were recorded from 60 countries. The number of male respondents (n = 653, 38.2%) roughly equalled the female (n = 626, 36.6%), with an average age of 14.0 (+2.8 SD) years. Almost 60% of the respondents do not own a mobile phone; and almost 60% of the respondents admitted that they did not know that mobile phones use EMF to function. Roughly two-thirds of the respondents also reported to not knowing that mobile phones can cause harmful effects. Out of those who believed so, a majority reported headache as the main problem.