In today’s era of advanced technologies, we are becoming so digital that we do not believe social media, particularly prolonged use of smartphones, is ruining our lives. Yes, I’m talking about our addiction to social media platforms, gaming applications and more. Because of this, our personal relationships have started to look like an emptiness. We have shielded ourselves in the social media like a blind person trapped in a deep pit and things have fallen apart for most people who, unfortunately, don’t realize it yet.
Perhaps this is the case of the High Court or the Supreme Court, but the rate of cheating and divorce cases arising from internet-based activities have risen in recent years. People no longer share friendly conversations. Some people don’t visit friends and family members anymore because they believe conversations held over the phone are the same as physical interactions.
Although there are some good uses of smartphones and internet-based apps, findings show that most people now hold there smartphones closest to heart than their family and friends. Companionship is a major reason why more use of social media, not for entertainment, education or work per se.
There are lots of damage to users of smartphones than meets the eye:
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- The man reportedly used a cell phone for five to six hours a day for 12 years while talking to business clients; he developed a tumor in his trigeminal nerve, at a location very close to where the phone came into contact with his head.
- Even if you don’t use a cell phone for hours each day, research has revealed that after just 50 minutes of cell phone exposure, the emitted radiation increases brain cell activity in the region closest to the cell phone antenna.
- Another analysis projected a very large increase in brain cancer incidence resulting from widespread mobile phone use beginning in approximately 15 years.
- A cell phone is a two-way microwave-radiating device that has been associated with not only brain tumors but also salivary gland tumors, weakened sperm production, blood brain barrier permeability, fetal impacts, and hearing loss and tinnitus, among other issues.
- When it comes to cell phone use, distance is your friend. Adults should not keep a cell phone in a pocket or on the body, and should use an air-tube headset or the speakerphone feature as much as possible. Children should rarely, if ever, use cell phones.
Even if you don’t use a cell phone for hours each day, research by leading brain imaging researcher Nora D. Volkow, MD of the National Institutes of Health, revealed that after just 50 minutes of cell phone exposure, the emitted radiation increases brain cell activity in the region closest to the cell phone antenna.1 The exact health effects of that increased brain activity are as of yet unknown, but the study effectively debunked the myth in U.S. government research circles that cell phone radiation at non-thermal levels is incapable of causing biological change.
Safety guidelines for microwave radiation emitting devices are based on the Specific Absorption Rate, known as the SAR value. The SAR value is a measure of the energy emitted by the cell phone and its potential for heating tissues – but the SAR only is a gauge the thermal impact of cell phone usage. As Volkow’s research found, it is very likely that the non-thermal effects of chronic cell phone exposure are even more biologically damaging.
The link between brain damage and cell phone use is becoming too strong to deny. Last year, even the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), reviewed relevant studies and declared that cell phones are possible cancer-causing agents, in the same category as diesel engine exhaust, some pesticides, and some heavy metals. The expert panel ruled that there was some evidence that regular cell phone use increased the risk of two types of tumors – brain tumors (gliomas) and acoustic neuromas.
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