Mobile phones are a negative distraction for children, considers the Karnataka government. Children aged under 16 and living in this Indian southern state will be banned to use handsets from now on, in the attempt of protecting their health.

Karnataka's government also addressed cell phone companies not to sell handsets to children. It sounds like the same prohibition that is applied in the case of cigarettes and booze and it actually is. Why? Because all these products are considered by the state's leaders as being potentially harmful for the young ones' health.

Many studies have reached the conclusion that mobile phones can be a potential risk for the users' health. Still, many other researches have showed just the opposite, making this a disputable conclusion. Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) says mobile phone use puts some groups of people at risk. Children under 16 are also part of this, as they are subdued to tissue damage risks because of radiation.

Many consumers in India now dispute the Karnataka government's decision, stating that it's the user's choice whether using a mobile phone or not. We've heard that before, from smokers defending their rights. Still, mobile phones and cigarettes are not two comparable things. The amount of risk that cell phones present to their users is still uncertain. Moreover, there are also some international guidelines on radiation levels that human beings can be exposed to that can measure the amount of harm that these products present to a growing body.

Until this is settled and the exact amount of risk that handsets present for their users is clearly revealed, Indian schools will have the right of confiscating mobile phones from students. All this comes as a result of some studies showing that handsets have adverse effects of radiation on the brain and the IQ level of children in the below 16 age group.