Kennedy praises cellphone bans in schools, for science-backed and tenuous reasons

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at a new target this week as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda: cellphones in schools.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at a new target this week as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda: cellphones in schools.

In an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, Kennedy praised cellphone restrictions in schools and listed health hazards that he said were linked to phone use among children and teens — some backed by scientific research, others less so.

Kennedy cited established links between social media use and depression and poor school performance. But he also suggested that cellphones “produce electromagnetic radiation, which has been shown to do neurological damage to kids when it’s around them all day, and to cause cellular damage and even cancer.”

Studies have found that excessive use of social media via smartphones can negatively impact teens’ mental health, elevating their risk of depression and anxiety. Scientists have also long understood that cellphone use in school can lead to poor academic performance, including lower grades.

However, the bulk of research so far has found no association between cellphone use and cancer, nor evidence that cellphones damage DNA. Cellphones emit radio frequency radiation, which has far less energy than ionizing radiation, such as that released by medical X-rays.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/kennedy-cell-phone-bans-schools-rcna197347

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