Should you buy a cell phone for your kids for the Holidays, or should you refrain from doing so, based on the potential risks for their health? The jury isn't in yet on cell phone radiation health risks, but according to recent studies and measures adopted by the UK government, maybe you should think twice before offering your loved ones a new phone for Christmas.

A recent study published in the medical journal "The Lancet" claims that children who use mobile phones risk suffering memory loss, sleeping disorders and headaches.

This is one of many studies and expert opinions that add to the increasing worries about cell phone health risks. Earlier this year, a British commission of experts pointed out that kids were likely to be more at risk than adults, and urged parents to limit kids' use of mobile phones as a precaution.

In the United Kingdom, a quarter of all mobile phone users are under 18 year of age. In the rest of the world and in North America, teenagers represent a rapidly growing market, as mobile phone companies try to attract them with affordable prepaid plans and short message services, similar to AOL and MSN's instant messaging.

If experts don't agree on whether or not cell phones pose a risk to human health, they tend to agree that, if there is such a risk, kids are more vulnerable, due to the ongoing development of their brain at that early age.

Along with these new worries, new measures are quickly being adopted. In Britain, all new phones will now come with health warnings, and merchants will display a leaflet explaining that children should not spend too much time on their phones.

Recently, in the United States, the Walt Disney company announced that it will stop licensing its cartoon characters for cell phones; faceplates with Mickey or Minnie Mouse are currently available for some popular Nokia phones.

Now, if this leaves you worried about offering your kids a cell phone, you should know that there are alternatives...

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