Parents warned over mobiles

An official report will today warn parents to stop their children using mobile phones.

New research into the possible health effects will recommend children only switch on their phones in an emergency.

The Health Protection Agency report will also advise children and adults to take a "precautionary approach".

The agency confirmed it would, for the first time, contain clear advice on how often mobiles should be used, and the potential effects on health of the radio waves they emit.

Sir William Stewart, chairman of the agency, has previously warned that similar advice given five years ago was ignored by the public. In that time mobile phone usage among children has doubled.

One British company recently began selling a mobile aimed at four-year-olds.

However, a spokeswoman for the industry's Mobile Operators Association said: "Parents need to weigh up the possibility of future unknown health effects against the tangible security benefits-All mobile phones sold in the UK comply with international health and safety exposure guidelines set by independent scientific experts, and these guidelines apply to all sections of the population, including children."

Recent reports have reignited the health debate. There have been claims that mobiles could affect cells, the brain or immune system, and increase the risk of diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's.

Sweden's Karolinska Institute published research in October showing people who had used mobiles for 10 years or more had a greater risk of developing acoustic neuroma, a benign

tumour regarded as serious because of its position next to brain tissue. Last month an EU-backed project found mobiles could potentially cause cancer by damaging DNA in human cells.

According to a recent report, a quarter of primary school children own a mobile, and 90 per cent among 11- to 16-year-olds have one. More than 40 million mobiles have been sold in Britain.