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Cellphone ban for under 16s
12/09/2007 11:20 - (SA)
New Dehli - India's southern state of Karnataka has decided to ban the use of cellphones by students aged below 16 in school premises and will also direct cellphone companies not to sell handsets to children, news reports said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the state's health and education departments on Tuesday and was aimed at protecting children, the Deccan Herald newspaper reported.
The government was holding consultations with its legal department and was likely to issue an order in a week, state Minister for Health R Ashok said.
He said the decision was taken after several studies pointed to the adverse effects of radiation from mobile phones on the brain and the IQ level of children in the below-16 age group.
Ashok said school authorities would be asked to confiscate mobile handsets found on students and these would not be returned.
Most schools in India, which is one of the world's fastest growing cellphone markets, already follow this practice.
Ashok also said the government would seek co-operation from parents to ensure that their children did not use cellphones at home.
Strict instructions would be issued to cellphone companies not to sell phones to children below 16, but no decision has been taken regarding fines or other action against those found violating the ban. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
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