The popularization of Wi-Fi in the information age has provided many conveniences, but there are concerns that excessive installation and use can have adverse health effects. Some argue that it should be regulated in certain places, such as daycare centers and hospitals, and this requires careful consideration.
Unlike material, information is difficult to monopolize. As a result, it was expected that the information society would eliminate many social imbalances due to the importance of information. However, due to the lack of infrastructure and means of accessing information, the information gap between the powerful and the common people has been widening rather than shrinking. However, Apple’s iPhone pioneered the popularization of smartphones as a means of accessing information. As a result, we now have access to an unprecedented amount of data on a daily basis. However, simply owning a smartphone was not enough; an environment had to be created to fulfill people’s wants and needs. This environment was wireless LAN technology, commonly referred to as Wi-Fi.
After Wi-Fi technology was introduced to the public, people became so dependent on it that they felt uncomfortable in an environment without it. For example, it’s hard to find a cafe receipt these days that doesn’t include a Wi-Fi password. This is because most cafe visitors want to use Wi-Fi. As a result of this situation, Wi-Fi routers have been installed everywhere in our daily lives, allowing us to use Wi-Fi in office buildings, subways, and even buses.
While it’s true that Wi-Fi has brought great convenience to the public, there are currently too many routers being installed indiscriminately because there are no guidelines for installing Wi-Fi routers. So far, there have been no problems caused by Wi-Fi yet, and people don’t think too much about the risks. However, there is a definite possibility that one day these problems will arise, and the government will have to regulate the installation of Wi-Fi routers in certain places to prevent bigger accidents.
So, what are the problems that Wi-Fi can cause that warrant regulation? The biggest issue is health concerns. Wi-Fi is basically electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves affect the human body. Of course, the frequencies used in Wi-Fi are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, so they don’t have enough energy to cause cancer or destroy cells. They also don’t produce heat like the electromagnetic waves used in microwaves. However, studies have shown that they can adversely affect the body in a variety of ways, including causing insomnia, stunted growth and development, decreased fertility, and heart disease. The problem is that the same Wi-Fi that has these effects on healthy adults is also exposing children and patients with weakened immune systems. Even daycare centers and preschools use Wi-Fi for the convenience of adults, and hospitals use Wi-Fi for patients, their families, and medical staff. Just as we restrict the sale of alcohol and tobacco to young people for public health reasons, we should restrict the installation of Wi-Fi routers in special-purpose buildings like daycare centers and hospitals.
Of course, such restrictions can raise equity issues. Should hospitals with more than a certain number of inpatients be regulated, or should nursing homes with many non-patients but immunocompromised people be regulated? What are the criteria for immunocompromised people? There are many questions like these. These questions could lead to an argument that no regulation is needed at all. However, this extreme argument is not appropriate because it only applies to a few special-purpose buildings, such as daycare centers and hospitals. To address the equity issue, it’s important to gather input from a variety of experts to set appropriate standards, and then actively promote the idea of not installing Wi-Fi in places that don’t meet those standards. There’s no point in regretting the loss of something so important, so countries need to prevent it before it happens. To protect the health of growing children and their loved ones, governments should carefully select and regulate buildings where Wi-Fi should not be installed.
