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Cell phone is bad for the developing brain of an embryo
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Constantly talking on a mobile phone during pregnancy can affect the development of the brain of the unborn child.
The debate about the potential dangers of mobile phones continues to this day with varying success. Scientists find evidence of the harmful effects of electromagnetic waves from cellular communications and then immediately refute everything. According to new data (which has not yet been refuted), a mobile phone has a negative effect on the developing brain of an embryo. An article about this appeared in Scientific Reports.
Researchers from Yale University (USA) left mobile phones in cages with pregnant mice. Mice are pregnant for 17 days, and almost all this time the phones were ringing (it must be assumed that the sound signal was turned off). When the babies were born, the researchers conducted a series of neurological and behavioral tests. It turned out that the mice that developed next to a working mobile phone had worse memory, but they were more active, ran around the cage more energetically, and behaved less cautiously compared to the control group. In addition, such babies had reduced activity of prefrontal cortex cells.
The difference in the mice's behavior reminded scientists of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That is, if a pregnant woman chats on her mobile phone all day long, her child may develop this syndrome: he will have problems concentrating, will not listen to anyone, and will generally cause trouble for those around him. According to scientists, the widespread use of mobile communications may be the reason why attention deficit disorder is being diagnosed more and more often these days.
Skeptics, however, point out several weak points in the authors' reasoning. First, to clearly compare ADHD in mice and humans, more than one large study is needed: after all, human and rodent behavior differs greatly. Second, in the experiment, the pregnant mice and the phone were separated by at least 22.3 cm - significantly less than this would be in humans. In addition, the human fetus is protected by a layer of amniotic fluid that is much larger than that of mice.
However, other scientists note that there is indeed a connection between pregnant women's addiction to talking on a mobile phone and subsequent behavioral characteristics of their children. And although the mechanism of the influence of mobile communications on embryonic cells is unclear (and is unlikely to be clarified in the near future), scientists advise expectant mothers to keep mobile devices away from their unborn child.
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