Sharp Increase in Memory Problems Among Children in Sweden and Norway
A new study from Sweden has displayed an alarming increase in memory problems among children and teenagers in Sweden and Norway. The dramatic increase in radiation exposure from wireless technologies over the last decade is presented as a potential contributing factor.
The study is published in the Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research. National health data in Norway and Sweden over almost two decades were analyzed. The researchers found that:
- In Norway, medical consultations for memory disturbances in children aged 5–19 years increased from 179.5 in 2006 to 1,522.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024—an 8.5-fold increase (see Figure 1 below).
- In Sweden, the number of children in the same age group diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a diagnosis that includes memory problems, surged from 0.86 in 2010 to 51.5 per 100,000 in 2024—a nearly 60-fold increase (see Figure 2 below)
These alarming trends coincide with a substantial increase in children’s exposure to microwave radiofrequency (RF) radiation, especially following the deployment of 3G, 4G, and 5G base stations, and increasing use of mobile phones, wireless headsets, and Wi-Fi in schools and at homes, according to the authors, Mona Nilsson, BSc (Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation) and Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD (The Environment and Cancer Research Foundation).
“The steep increase in memory issues cannot be explained by changes in diagnostic criteria or reporting to the registries alone,” says Dr Lennart Hardell. “We urge our findings on increasing numbers of children having impaired memory to be taken seriously by public health authorities and consider children’s increasing exposure to wireless radiation as a possible cause. Thus, we ask for measures aimed at decreasing exposure to RF radiation to protect the brain and general health of children.”
Citing both epidemiological and experimental evidence, the authors highlight that microwave RF radiation at levels well below international exposure limits can negatively affect the brain, particularly the hippocampus, which plays a central role in memory and learning.
“The evidence showing that microwave RF radiation negatively impacts memory and the brain is strong and convincing. The effect has been repeatedly reported in scientific studies on animals and humans for decades. Therefore, the increasing memory problems in children are unfortunately not an unexpected outcome in view of the last 10-20 years’ rapidly increasing exposure to microwave RF radiation,” according to Mona Nilsson, the lead author.
The introduction of 5G technology since 2019 has resulted in significantly higher exposure levels to RF radiation. Case studies cited in the article report rapid onset of symptoms consistent with the microwave syndrome—including memory impairment—in individuals after 5G rollout near homes and schools. Furthermore, in 2022, more than 70% of Swedish children aged 15 years used a mobile phone more than 3 hours per day, while among children aged 12 years, more than 40% used a mobile phone more than 3 hours per day.