Letters to the Editor, February 10th: On smartphones and schoolchildren, and the blue zone centenarian myth

Sir, – I am writing in relation to your front-page article “Smartphone pouches plan to stay, says McEntee” (News, February 6th) to clarify a few points about the use of smartphones and the research quoted. The study looked at schools with a “permissive” phone-use policy versus a “restrictive” phone-use policy. Of the 20 schools with a “restrictive” policy, it has to be noted that only one school (30 participants) used electromagnetic pouches, with most schools allowing students possession of their phone but not allowing use (ie “phones must be kept off inside bags”). For comparison, research presented to parliament in...