What Are the Dangers of Laptops for Children?

Laptops and the Wi-Fi generation are one defining characteristic of the 21st century. Wi-Fi networks use radio waves to transmit information by use of a router and a wireless adapter card located inside the laptop. Schools and libraries are installing Wi-Fi networks. Educators in elementary and secondary schools are integrating technology and laptops into their lessons. Despite the benefits and conveniences of the laptop, you need to consider the dangers of obesity, sexual predators and low-level radio frequency (RF) radiation emitted by Wi-Fi networks when deciding whether to give children access.

Wi-Fi Radiation

• A study done by Princeton’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety to address the public concerns of working in a Wi-Fi-network environment concluded that levels of RF emitted from a wireless network (2.4 gigahertz) are much lower than ionizing radiation (from X-rays) and "do not present a hazard" when measured against the other levels of modern RF in the environment.

  Nevertheless, children are more vulnerable to radiation, and most of the studies on low-level radio waves have been completed on the dangers of cell phone use. In an article by the BBC News, Dr. Lawrie Challis, retired professor of physics, urged caution, suggesting that children are "much more sensitive than adults to dangers in the environment." A desktop computer’s transmitter is “in the tower" and at a safer distance. He recommends that parents keep laptops off their children’s laps despite there being no direct scientific evidence confirming Wi-Fi radiation is harmful to children. Challis argues that if cell phones can cause sensitivity, and the levels are comparable to Wi-Fi radiation, children could be at risk.

Obesity

• Laptop computers result in inactivity. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in addition to parents providing healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, parents should limit screen time to less than two hours a day. A laptop encourages immobility. Because it is portable, it becomes attached to the child like an appendage. Therefore, when the family moves into the living room, the laptop goes too. The child spreads out on the floor in front of the screen with the only movement being that of the child’s eyes and hand. A daily consumption of laptop activity results in a less activity overall, a lower metabolism, an increase in weight and risk for future health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Uncensored Surfing

• A laptop, unlike a desktop computer, can be moved from room to room. Therefore, a child is more apt to use the laptop computer and surf the Internet without any parental supervision. A young child could be searching for an innocuous song or photograph and accidentally come across a disturbing image or video. Once viewed, the image is indelibly planted in the child's mind, resulting in anxiety and confusion. Likewise, criminals posing as friendly online buddies have been known to befriend youngsters in chatrooms. Some children have been lured away from home and molested by predators or kidnapped. It is best to keep the laptop computer in a shared room, so that parents can oversee, censor and set limits.