--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reality is, cellphones have to be…" description: "\"The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They are today like cars and trucks - we can't live without them, but we certainly wouldn't give a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg" --- # The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They… ![“The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They are today like cars and trucks - we can't live without them, but we certainly wouldn't give a car or truck to a toddler to drive. Why are we thinking it's perfectly okay to give a device that the World Health Organization has said is a…” quote by Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg) > “The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They are today like cars and trucks - we can't live without them, but we certainly wouldn't give a car or truck to a toddler to drive. Why are we thinking it's perfectly okay to give a device that the World Health Organization has said is a "possible human carcinogen" to infants and toddlers, and for that matter, schoolchildren?” [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that smartphones, essential like vehicles, pose health risks especially for children, and should be treated with caution. **In simple terms:** Phones are essential but risky for kids; use them safely. Key Takeaway Treat phones like cars for kids—don’t let them drive. Themes health safety technology children risk management Mood concerned urgent protective Type warning advocacy policy. When to use this quote - parenting - school policy - legislation - product design - consumer education Key Concepts public health carcinogen awareness parental responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we enforce safer phone use for children? - What alternatives exist for reducing exposure? A Different Perspective Safety standards for phones are still developing and may lag behind usage trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Carcinogen Infants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carcinogen-infants-4741694/) [Cellphone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphone/) [Cellphones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphones/) [Cellphones Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphones-used-4741693/) [Devices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devices/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Infant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infant/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okay/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Safely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safely/) [Safely Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safely-today-4741695/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Toddler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toddler/) [Truck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truck/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-health/) [World health organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-health-organization/) ## Related quotes > [We're used to shooting our own stuff on our cellphones. We're used to capturing everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-mumford/we-re-used-to-shooting-our-own-stuff-on-our-cellphones-we-re-used-to/) [Eloise Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloise-mumford/) > [When you turn on the news, they don't say, "Hey, 2 Million kids went to school safely today...40,000 flights took place without incident." They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/when-you-turn-on-the-news-they-don-t-say-hey-2-million-kids-went-to/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [“we are ranked thirty-seventh in overall health-system performance by the World Health Organization,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/we-are-ranked-thirty-seventh-in-overall-health-system-performance-by/) [David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/) > [“The World Health Organization has twice found that schizophrenia outcomes are much, much better in poor countries like India, Nigeria, and Colombia than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darby-penney/the-world-health-organization-has-twice-found-that-schizophrenia/) [Darby Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darby-penney/) > [The Carter Center has a policy of doing what others do not want to do. We do not compete with the World Health Organization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/the-carter-center-has-a-policy-of-doing-what-others-do-not-want-to-do/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Ebola has killed almost 12,000 people and at least 500 health workers. So it affected the entire population. And as you know, the World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ofeibea-quist-arcton/ebola-has-killed-almost-12-000-people-and-at-least-500-health-workers/) [Ofeibea Quist-Arcton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ofeibea-quist-arcton/) > [“We can screw up our biological clocks a lot easier than that, too. Shift work, where employees alternate between days and nights on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/we-can-screw-up-our-biological-clocks-a-lot-easier-than-that-too/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, worldwide over the past three decades, 150,000 people a year have died as a result of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-marsa/the-world-health-organization-who-estimates-that-worldwide-over-the/) [Linda Marsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-marsa/) > [Early in 1986, the World Health Organization in Geneva still regarded AIDS as an ailment of the promiscuous few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/early-in-1986-the-world-health-organization-in-geneva-still-regarded/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [“Well, Zimbabwe now has a higher immunization rate for one-year-olds against measles (around 95 percent) than the United States does. So do 112 other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-wright/well-zimbabwe-now-has-a-higher-immunization-rate-for-one-year-olds/) [Jennifer Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-wright/) > [“The term “myalgic encephalomyelitis” (muscle pain, “myalgic”, with “encephalomyelitis” inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) was first included by the World Health Organization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-hooper/the-term-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-muscle-pain-myalgic-with/) [Malcolm Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-hooper/) > [“One of the best countries of the world where one can expect best MBBS education is none other than China. After successful completion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onepoint-education-consultancy/one-of-the-best-countries-of-the-world-where-one-can-expect-best-mbbs/) [Onepoint Education Consultancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onepoint-education-consultancy/) > [Air quality is already a problem outside of cars: More than 80 percent of people living in cities where pollution is tracked are exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/air-quality-is-already-a-problem-outside-of-cars-more-than-80-percent/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [My 94-year-old grandmother has always been so inspiring to me. She is kind, smart, brave, and independent. After graduating number one in her medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-chow/my-94-year-old-grandmother-has-always-been-so-inspiring-to-me-she-is/) [Kelsey Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-chow/) > [“It is chilling to know that some accepted ways of being with children can leave them vulnerable to suffering from anxiety, depression, or rage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-taylor/it-is-chilling-to-know-that-some-accepted-ways-of-being-with-children/) [Natalie Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-taylor/) ## More by Devra Davis > [Cancer can take a long time to develop and necessarily has multiple causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/cancer-can-take-a-long-time-to-develop-and-necessarily-has-multiple/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [There is apparently an epidemic of tinnitus in younger people. Tinnitus is ringing in the ears and it can be disabling. Tinnitus is associated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/there-is-apparently-an-epidemic-of-tinnitus-in-younger-people/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [The average studies of cellphones and brain cancer have studied people who have used cellphones for five years or less. Sometimes eight years. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-average-studies-of-cellphones-and-brain-cancer-have-studied/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [Radar, of course, is what cellphone radiation is exactly like. It can be a similar frequency, it's just much weaker power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/radar-of-course-is-what-cellphone-radiation-is-exactly-like-it-can-be/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [I don't know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don't know that they are safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/i-don-t-know-that-cell-phones-are-dangerous-but-i-don-t-know-that/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [There's an increase in serious weight disorders from cellphone use. And people who don't sleep have serious other consequences for their health that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/there-s-an-increase-in-serious-weight-disorders-from-cellphone-use/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [We know that drugs, sex and rock and roll stimulates something called dopamine in the brain. So do videogames. Dopamine is something that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/we-know-that-drugs-sex-and-rock-and-roll-stimulates-something-called/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [The whole idea of what is evidence for causation in epidemiology cannot be separated from tTindustry understood that if they could raise doubt about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-whole-idea-of-what-is-evidence-for-causation-in-epidemiology/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [Say no to being on-call 24/7 unless you are an emergency responder. Use a speakerphone, use a headset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/say-no-to-being-on-call-24-7-unless-you-are-an-emergency-responder/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [In particular, recently Belgium has banned the sale of a cellphone to a 7-year-old. Turkey has banned ads and advertising to children. So has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/in-particular-recently-belgium-has-banned-the-sale-of-a-cellphone-to/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [Cellphone and other wireless radiation should be classified as a "probable human carcinogen."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/cellphone-and-other-wireless-radiation-should-be-classified-as-a/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [Just a little bit of exposure to this pulsed digital signal, which is now a cellphone signal, could weaken membranes of the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/just-a-little-bit-of-exposure-to-this-pulsed-digital-signal-which-is/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [If you are a physician and someone comes to see you with an absolutely incapacitating headache or a swollen arm, you don't tell them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/if-you-are-a-physician-and-someone-comes-to-see-you-with-an/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [When the signal is weak, the phone is working more, you drain the battery faster, so only use a phone when the signal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/when-the-signal-is-weak-the-phone-is-working-more-you-drain-the/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [Brain cancer has a latency in the population of 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/brain-cancer-has-a-latency-in-the-population-of-40-years/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) [Explore all 25 Devra Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) ## More Car quotes > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I don't own a yacht or a flashy car. I've always had safe cars because I do so much driving. I don't think I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/i-don-t-own-a-yacht-or-a-flashy-car-i-ve-always-had-safe-cars-because/) [Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/i-mean-you-ve-kind-of-got-the-track-down-especially-with-ovals-the/) [Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/) > [I was with Dre when he was just selling tapes. He didn't have a car, a license or a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/i-was-with-dre-when-he-was-just-selling-tapes-he-didn-t-have-a-car-a/) [Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [The things that don't happen to us that we'll never know didn't happen to us. The nonstories. The extra minute to find the briefcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/the-things-that-don-t-happen-to-us-that-we-ll-never-know-didn-t/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [It is amazing how may drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/it-is-amazing-how-may-drivers-even-at-the-formula-one-level-think/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [I don't have to have the biggest house or the biggest car or the longest mink, but quality of life is really glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-don-t-have-to-have-the-biggest-house-or-the-biggest-car-or-the/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) [Browse all 6,849 Car quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They are today like cars and trucks - we can't live without them, but we certainly wouldn't give a car or truck to a toddler to drive. Why are we thinking it's perfectly okay to give a device that the World Health Organization has said is a \"possible human carcinogen\" to infants and toddlers, and for that matter, schoolchildren?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Devra Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-used-safely-they-are-today-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Car" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-used-safely-they-are-today-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/devra-davis-23714_car_the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-use_575730.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reality is, cellphones have to be used safely. They are today like cars and trucks - we can't live…” — Devra Davis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Devra Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The reality is, cellphones have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-used-safely-they-are-today-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-reality-is-cellphones-have-to-be-used-safely-they-are-today-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```