OSLO, Feb 11: Just a few minutes’ chatting on a mobile phone reduces the brain functions of children for almost an hour, according to new Spanish test results quoted in Norwegian media.

The tests, conducted by the German investigator Michael Klieeisen at the Spanish Neuro Diagnostic Research in Marbella, are the first to show how children’s brains react to the use of mobile phones.

With the help of a scanner, Klieeisen was able to create pictures of how the brains of an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl reacted while they used a mobile phone. The results were compared with similar tests using adult subjects.

The tests showed that the brain activity of the child subjects was reduced significantly, especially on the side where the mobile phone was held, a few minutes after the call was begun, the report said.

Also, brain activity was lower than normal in large sections of the brain for 50 minutes after the end of the call, the test results showed.

“My advice to all parents is not to allow children to use mobile phones,” Klieeisen was quoted by Aftenposten as saying.

“Not only are electrical activities affected, but also biochemical processes. We do not know if it is dangerous, but we do know that children’s brains, which are not fully developed, are more vulnerable than adult brains are,” the researcher added.

Researchers in Britain confirm the Spanish results, and Norwegian and Swedish experts also are studying the health risk posed by mobile telephony.—dpa