Belgium BANS Mobile Phones For Children

On the same day that we read reports from the Lancet that the UK is “lagging behind similar countries on many indicators for ill-health” (and continues to lag in the diagnosis and survival of cancer), the Belgian government has announced measures to restrict the use of mobile phones by young children.

Public Health Minister Laurette Onkelinx has announced that sales of mobile phones to children under 7 years will be banned in shops and also on the internet.

Adverts for mobile phones during children’s programmes on TV radio and the internet will also be banned.

Research shows that in Belgium every two out of three children under 10 years have a mobile phone. At 12 years they nearly all have one.

The minister has highlighted the radiation risk from cell phones which is higher for young children than adults.

via Mobile phones to be banned for children < Belgian news | Expatica Belgium.

In stark contrast, here is an advert Tesco have been running in the UK – legally – to encourage children to buy mobile/smart phones from them.

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5 Comments
  1. Lets hope others countries follow

  2. It’s a start but they need to raise the age to cover all children until they’re much older, perhaps 12 years or even older, and do it in every country.

  3. Some years back, Belgium banned fluoride chewing gum, and fluoride drops too if I remember correctly.

  4. The nearby hospital to my location has 4 cell phone transmitters next door. And I mean right next door. 4 cell phone companies, three towers transmitting at 2100 MHZ UMTS and one at 1800 MHZ GSM.

    The hospital was officially opened recently by prince William and Kate !

    A hospital next door to a possible class 2B carcinogen (W.H.O), with royal approval ?

    The government likes to remind us “we’re all in this together.”

    Please excuse me if this is off topic.

  5. I was thinking of smart meters when class 2B carcinogen (WHO) is mentioned, and don’t know if cell towers fall into that category.

    Being bathed in cell phone radiation while in hospital while you’re sick, being treated and/or fighting for your life, maybe even receiving radiation treatments for cancer, doesn’t seem like a healthy choice. A choice Governments and the phone industry is making for us.