EMR for Babies and Children: Why Are They More Sensitive?

Three reasons to think of children separately

International bodies have issued no confirmed finding of harm specific to children; however, many national health authorities explicitly recommend limiting wireless device use, especially for young children. This page follows the same precautionary line.

• Physiology: children's tissues have a higher water content and the skull is thinner; from the same source, different absorption profiles are measured compared with adults
• Development: the nervous and immune systems are still taking shape; this is the strongest rationale for the precautionary principle
• Duration: a child born today will live with a longer cumulative exposure than all previous generations

Nursery and children's-room rules

• Use the baby monitor in VOX (voice-activated) mode at least 1-2 metres from the cot; wired/analogue models are preferable
• Keep Wi-Fi repeaters, smart speakers and wireless cameras out of the children's room
• Move the bed away from wall spots shared with the meter cabinet, the refrigerator or the neighbouring flat's router
• Have tablets and phones used in flight mode with downloaded content wherever possible
• The habit of switching off the whole home's Wi-Fi at night is the cheapest and most effective measure

When should shielding come into play?

When an external source (a base station opposite, a transformer next door) is confirmed by measurement: shielding paint on the relevant wall of the children's room, film or net curtain on the window and, if needed, a BSP1 canopy over the cot is a typical, proportionate package.

For the school or nursery environment, parents can share measurement results with the management and request reasonable changes (classroom layout, access-point locations); for institutional requests we provide survey and reporting support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you recommend shielding during pregnancy?

Behavioural measures first: not carrying the phone against the belly or keeping it close while charging, and not using the laptop on the lap. For mothers who want it, a shielding blanket (TDJ) is an extra layer of comfort.

At what age should my child get a phone?

That is a parenting decision; from an EMR perspective, the advice is the later the better, and always together with usage rules (speaker/headphones, flight mode, not in the bedroom at night).

Is a baby canopy safe?

Yes — the fabric is porous and lets air through. Standard safety rules apply: the fabric must be fixed taut and set up so that the baby cannot pull on it.