Outcry over mobile phone for four-year-olds
A mobile phone designed for children as young as four is to go on sale in shops in the UK from October.
The Firefly mobile phone
The brightly coloured gadget from US manufacturer Firefly (pictured) is to be priced at £85. But it has already prompted criticism from parents' groups about the role of parental responsibility and the possible effects of radiation on children's health.
Advice from the Department of Health says to avoid giving children under 16 a mobile phone. A report by the National Radiological Protection Board in 2004 warned that parents should restrict mobile phone use by children because their brains are more vulnerable to radiation (News, 26/01/05).
The 'Glow phone' has five buttons, including one that calls 'mum', another that calls 'dad' and a phone book, which is PIN protected. It can only receive text messages and has two built-in games.
Mother-of-three Frances Crean is behind the UK launch of the product, having marketed it two years ago in Ireland, where more than 7,000 have been sold. She said, 'There is no conclusive evidence to suggest mobile phones damage young children's brains.
'The phone is marketed at parents and offers them the choice to buy their child a phone which they control.'
Ms Crean said that she and her husband bought the US model for their six-year-old daughter after an incident when she fell ill away from home.
However, child psychologist Jennie Lindon said safety worries were no justification for giving young children mobile phones. 'Children this age shouldn't be out of earshot of parents or practitioners. There is no good developmental reason to give young children a real mobile phone. Decommissioned mobile phones can be a resource for imaginative play.
'During early childhood we want children to become enthusiastic communicators, and that means speaking and listening face-to-face.'
Four years ago, Communic8 suspended its sale of the first mobile phone aimed at children in the UK, after a study revealed possible risks to health (News, 20 January 2005).
