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" A major new study is to investigate the effects of mobile phones and other devices on the growing brains of children. The Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) will be funded by the government and the telecoms industry and will involve 2,500 11 and 12-year-olds from September 2014 onwards. Researchers at Imperial College London will invite 160 secondary schools in the capital to get involved with the project, with invitations being sent out this week. The scientists will look at children&amp;#039;s thinking skills, memory and attention, as well as their use of mobile phones, information which will be supplemented by data from operators. Around 500 youngsters are also set to participate in a more detailed study, which will involve them being given personal radio frequency meters to monitor their exposure to radio frequency waves over 48 hours. The entire study will then be repeated again in 2017 to see if any trends can be established. It has come about because researchers are concerned how little they know about the impact of mobile devices on human brain tissue, particularly that of children. Although no studies to date have found a link between mobile phone use and brain tumour development, the World Health Organisation has nevertheless called for further research as a priority, while the NHS advises that under-16 should only use phones when essential. The fear is that young people&amp;#039;s brains may be more susceptible to damage from radio waves because they are still developing. Indeed, the frontal and temporal lobes are close to where a mobile phone would typically be held and they continue to develop throughout adolescence. Lead investigator of SCAMP Dr Mireille Toledano said: &amp;#039;As mobile phones are a new and widespread technology central to our lives, carrying out the study is important in order to provide the evidence base with which to inform policy and through which parents and their children can make informed life choices.&amp;#039; According to Ofcom, 43 per cent of five to 15-year-olds owned a mobile phone in 2013, while tablet ownership has grown four-fold among eight to 11-year-olds. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a25122/study-to-probe-mobile-phones-effects-on-young-brains/>