Teens these days are addicted to their phones and even use them to communicate with each other when they are literally two inches away.

But have you ever thought about the dangers from cell phone radiation?

According to the American Cancer Society, “Cell phones (including smartphones) give off a form of energy known as radio frequency (RF) waves.”

There are two types of radiation. Ionizing, which includes X-rays, radon, and cosmic rays, is harmful. Non-ionizing radiation, which includes electromagnetic wave frequencies that fall between FM radio waves and microwaves, is significantly less dangerous.

Humans are exposed to RF waves because cell phones send signals to nearby cell towers using the RF waves. Since we usually use our cell phones next to our heads, many worry that it can lead to some health problems, including brain tumors such as gliomas, non-cancerous tumors of the brain such as meningiomas, non-cancerous tumors of the nerves connecting the brain to the ear, and non-cancerous tumors of the salivary glands. But the studies show mixed results.

The American Cancer Society also talks about how cell phone users has increased. As of 2017, according to Statistica, there are nearly 238 million cell phone users in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunication and Internet Association. Globally, the number of subscriptions is estimated by the International Telecommunications Union to be 5 billion.

Momjunction talks about the negative things that could happen to teens for using their phones too much. Too much cell phone use can cause stress, it can tempt teens to be texting or talking on the phone instead of doing something productive, it can increase the risk of cyberbullying, accidents and sleep loss, and it can lead to psychological disorders, such as anxiety.

To prevent cellphones from affecting your health, the website Naturally Savvy suggests keeping the phone away from your body: talk on speaker so the phone is not next to your head; don’t put your cellphone in your pocket unless it is on airplane mode; turn your cellphone off more often so it is not always sending RF waves; at night, put the phone on airplane mode and/or put it in the other side of the bed, away from your body.