The Rise and Rise of Cell Phones

Although we can hardly imagine life without them, cell phones haven’t actually been around all that long.

The very first mobile phone was made in 1973… and weighed over a kilogram. It wasn’t until ten years later that the technology was commercially available to the public. These ‘bricks’ were expensive, heavy, and had less than an hour of talk time before needing an extensive charge.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that phones began to resemble what they do today with some classic designs that will get your nostalgia working overtime. Still, minutes were expensive and the phones were mostly used to make calls – the first phones with texting didn’t arrive until 1993 and couldn’t be sent outside your network until 1999.

Over the years phones developed QWERTY keyboards and wifi connections until the iPhone in 2008 changed the game again with design flair, apps and a touchscreen. A diversity of plans were available, networks reached further than ever and the smartphone had arrived. Now there are almost as many cell phones in the world as people and we use them to watch films, listen to music, read books, track our fitness and organise our calendar – ways it was hard to imagine back in the 90s when most of us got our first phones.

So what does the rise and rise of cell phones mean for our health? The important point is that they just haven’t been around that long and during that limited time the way we use our phones has changed dramatically.

Scientists rely on long-term studies and that length of time is something we just don’t have yet. Even looking back twenty years there were far fewer phones around and people used them far less. There are already studies linking mobile phone radiation and infertility as well as concerns such as cancer. To balance the rising popularity of cell phones with the rising health risks is technology like anti-radiation phone cases, so you can continue using the latest phones while protecting your health.

When did you get your first cell phone?

Has the way you use your phone changed over the years?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!