November 30, 2005
Mobile phone firm launches handset for four-year-olds
It's small, blue and more likely to end up in children's mouths than in their hands where it belongs. This week a British company launched a teddy-bear shaped mobile phone for four-year-olds. The Guardian reports.
Teddyfone uses the most basic mobile phone technology (click here to see how it works). It has four buttons - one on each paw - to speed-dial four numbers. It also has two panic buttons - one close to each ear - that a child can press in an emergency. The speaker is concealed in the nose. There is no keypad and no screen. There is also a child-tracking service for worried parents who, for 50p, can find out out where their son or daughter is.
The manufacturer claims its handset is safer than others on the market because the emissions are up to 10 times lower, but yesterday the campaign group Powerwatch expressed concern.
Paul Liesching, Teddyfone's managing director, said: "There is no evidence that mobile phone radiation is bad for the health. I understand that parents are concerned about radiation, but I would encourage them to do some research and make their own minds up. Parenting is all about making decisions.
Links to other cell phones for kids
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