5 Tips To Protect Kids from Cellphone Radiation During Travel |Travel Tech Gadgets

How To Protect Kids from Cellphone Radiation During Travel

Kids and technology just go together these days. They are surrounded by it, be it cell phones, tablets, computers, and TVs. Parents cannot imagine how people were dealing with their rowdy and high energy kids before technology. Us including. In the beginning, we wanted to make sure that the kid is not in front of the screen at all. But that became unrealistic as she was growing up and with all the travel. We try to limit her screen time though and it has to be either deserved or earned. And even with this limited use, she is still exposed to the radiation emitted by the electronic devices.

How To Protect Your Kids From Cellphone Radiation:

1. Get it away from the child’s body

⁍ Create space between the device and the child. If they are watching TV, make sure they are sitting a few feet away from the set. A general guideline is to sit between 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal screen measurement away, with about a 30-degree viewing angle. For example, if you have a 40" TV, you should be sitting somewhere between 5 and 8 feet from the screen.

⁍ If watching on a tablet, get it out of the kid's lap. A portable lap desk could keep the iPad securely in place
For road trips can use Car Seat Lap Travel Tray to place the tablet within reach but not to close to the body.
Another option is to hang up the tablet on the headrest of the seat in front of them so they are looking at the screen from a distance and an eye level. We have the Griffin Technology Cinema Seat for iPad that we have been using on short and long trips. It has been with us on many road trips and our travel to Georgia, South Carolina, and Arizona.

⁍ Have your kids carry their cellphone in a jacket pocket, purse, or secure backpack. This way they are not next to their body. This is especially important when kids are on a call. Phones emit higher radiation when they’re transmitting a call or data. It is a good idea to use headphones or earphones so that there is some distance from the device. This good not just for kids, but for anyone using a cellular phone.

2. Turn on airplane mode on the devices

⁍ Airplane Mode is a setting on your wireless device that stops radio-frequency signal transmissions to your electronic device. In laymen’s terms, it is a setting that stops you from using the Internet and phone calls. Every smartphone, laptop, and tablet has this option. When it’s turned on and you have access to the Wi-Fi, your phone releases radiation.
When traveling, on airplanes you are asked to turn off cellular service, and it is a good idea to also turn it off when outside the country to not incur any roaming charges. If your children are not using their phone (i.e. when they’re at school), the best idea is to turn it off.

3. Use headphones or speaker mode for calls

⁍ As mentioned above, keeping your phone away from your body would help limit exposure to radiation. Headphones are a great way to talk privately and safely on a phone. Especially now, with a lot of great wireless earphones available the have great sounds, pick up speech well, and eliminate surrounding noise while talking.

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4. Don’t let kids sleep with their devices or next to the Wi-Fi router

⁍ Quite a few folks sleep with their devices close to their heads on a nightstand or even under the pillow. That is not great for many different reasons. Not only does this puts you in close proximity to the radiation, but the device under the pillow will heat up and it is not good for its internal components.

⁍ Also excessive exposure to the light from electronic devices can disrupt sleeping patterns. While quite a few phones have updated background lightning to slightly more friendly blue tint, it is still not good for the eyes or your sleep.

⁍ Get an alarm clock. There are many variations available for travel that would work well instead of using a cellphone to wake up. In hotels, you can also request a wake-up call or use the radio in the room to set the alarm.

⁍ Charge all electronic devices outside of the bedroom. This includes TVs, laptops, gaming systems, and smartphones.

5. Reduce the amount of time a child has a cellphone overall

⁍ Paediatric Society recommends limiting use to less than one hour a day for children ages two to five years old

⁍ Children ages five to 11 years old should limit their recreational screen time to less than two hours a day

⁍ Teenagers have no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day