Nellore: Just two minutes on a cell phone call can alter the electrical activity in a child’s brain for up to an hour, said Dr K.P. Vinayan, professor and head, division of paediatric neurology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi. The radiation from the phones penetrate deep into the brain and not just around the ear. The disturbed brain activity could impair children’s learning ability and can produce other behaviour and personality problems, Dr Vijayan said. It could even affect their mood and ability to learn in the classroom. Children may get addicted to mobile phones, Dr Vijayan said on the sidelines of the national conference on neurology organised jointly by Apollo Hospitals and Dr Bindu Menon Foundation of Nellore,
Excessive use of mobile phones and computers will limit the child’s opportunity for social interaction. In susceptible individuals, it would lead to development of autistic traits and hyperactivity. It can also reduce their attention span. Because of their limited social interactions, language development may be significantly delayed, which will further affect the overall cognitive abilities, Dr Vijayan said.
This is more common in nuclear families, where the overall language exposure may be less. Excessive use of electronic gadgets, especially around sleep time can affect the quality and duration of sleep, which will in turn affect the memory and cognitive abilities, Dr Vijayan said. It is well known that among children with a history of seizures, excessive use of mobile phones, playing computer games or watching TV can trigger atacks. These children are prone for episodes of migrainous headaches, said Dr Vinayan, who is also editor of the International Journal of Epilepsy.
