During your pregnancy, your baby isn’t yet attached to your hip (that will come after he’s born), but something else might be — your phone. You use it to talk, text, make appointments, research baby products, even read this site! But does all that wireless device usage impact your growing baby? 

It’s normal to wonder — and even worry. 

“Having a baby in modern times involves having a lot of anxiety that you’re doing the right thing. There’s this whole layer of extra guilt that I think cellphone radiation is part of,” says Adam Lewkowitz, M.D., director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Research at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

Researchers continue to study the possible effects of radio waves from cellphones and other hand-held devices on fetuses, and their work is largely inconclusive. 

In fact, because no researcher would wittingly expose a human fetus to potential harm, it's difficult (if not impossible) to design a reliable study that can definitively link cellphone exposure to any health or behavioral problems.

That said, most experts say that cellphone radiation during pregnancy likely isn’t a major concern. Here’s what we know — and whether it’s worth making changes to your tech habits.

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Key Takeaways

  • Research hasn’t proven that cell phone use during pregnancy harms your baby. Most studies on the topic are small and inconclusive, and major health organizations like the FDA, WHO, and ACOG don’t list cellphone radiation as a concern for expectant parents.

  • Experts say the level of radiation from cellphones is very low and likely not dangerous. The non-ionizing radiation emitted by wireless devices is far weaker than harmful sources like X-rays, and you’re exposed to similar waves from everyday things like your microwave or plane rides.

  • The bigger issue with phones may come after your baby is born. Too much screen time can distract from face-to-face interaction with your newborn, so try to stay present and limit scrolling when you can.

Do cellphones emit radiation?

Yes — cellphones, laptops, and tablets with a wireless internet connection communicate with one another and the outside world by emitting and receiving energy called electromagnetic radio waves. 

Using these devices means a tiny bit of radiation invariably ends up in your body, and if the exposure is high enough, radio waves can heat tissue, damage DNA, and sometimes cause cancer.

Fortunately, cellphones emit a kind of non-ionizing radiation, a low grade of radio wave energy, and there’s no scientific proof that this particular exposure level is harmful, according to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)[1] and the World Health Organization (WHO)[2]. 

That said, wireless devices are far from the only sources of radio wave exposure you experience in your daily life. 

Believe it or not, the sun, your microwave, X-rays, flying in an airplane, the radio, and even granite countertops all emit varying levels of the same type of radio waves — which means you’d have to live in a bubble to stay away from all electromagnetic waves. 

And that’s why it’s recommended you skip unnecessary X-rays during pregnancy (but standing near a granite countertop is fine!).

Could cellphone use have any effect on a growing baby or healthy pregnancy?

Since the energy emitted by cellphones is somewhere between the two extremes of X-rays and granite, some researchers have raised questions about whether it could affect a growing baby in utero, whose fast-replicating cells are particularly vulnerable to outside disturbances. 

But the answers have been far from conclusive. Most of the studies we do have are small, and they only show associations between cellphone use and certain pregnancy outcomes — not proof that phone use causes these outcomes. 

One such paper from 2025[3], which looked at 1,666 participants, found that women who spent more time on cellphone calls during pregnancy had a slightly higher risk of miscarriage, abnormal birth weight, and abnormal birth height compared to women who spent less time on cellphone calls. 

An older study from 2019[4] also linked more frequent maternal cellphone use to slightly higher odds of preterm birth, but not to low birth weight or restricted fetal growth. However, the researchers noted that, since other similar studies haven’t shown the same results, other confounding factors could have been responsible for the higher preterm birth risk. 

On the other hand? One of the biggest studies on the topic, a 2022 review of 18 articles[5] looking at the effects of smartphone radiation on pregnancy, was seriously flawed. Though it concluded that cellphone use was tied to higher risks of miscarriage and fluctuations in fetal temperature and heart rate, the paper was retracted in 2023 when the editors discovered problems with the study design that led to an “incorrect conclusion.” 

Other research has studied moms' self-reported cell use in pregnancy and the incidence of their kids’ behavioral problems, like ADHD. In a 2017 Spanish study, data on more than 80,000 mother-child pairs found that when mothers spent more time talking on their cellphones during pregnancy, their children (ages 5-7) were more likely to have behavioral and emotional problems, most notably hyperactivity. 

It's noteworthy, however, that women who used their cellphones the most during pregnancy may also have ADHD themselves and passed it onto their children. And other studies have also found no link at all between cellphone use during pregnancy and developmental disorders in kids.

Is it safe to use a cellphone during pregnancy?

Most practitioners agree that research on cellphone use in pregnancy is inconclusive. That’s why organizations like the American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) don’t have specific guidelines for people who are expecting. 

But considering the fact that moms-to-be expose themselves to low levels of radiation from many different sources every day — think microwaves or airplane rides — Dr. Lewkowitz believes that zeroing in on cell phones is a little nitpicky. 

“This kind of radiation is not something I counsel my patients about. Of all the things we’re worried about during pregnancy, it’s really low on the radar,” Dr. Lewkowitz says. 

In fact, the greater risk posed by cellphones probably comes from spending too much time on your device after your baby is born, when he’s looking to you for face-to-face interaction (even as a newborn). 

“I do my best at choosing specific times when my baby is either eating a snack, napping, or consumed with playing, or waiting until he goes to bed, to do most of my phone time,” says What to Expect Community mom NoliesMama.

Lots of scroll time can potentially cause you to (unintentionally) talk to your baby less, which could lead to language development delays, says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 

“The major thing to do would be to try and not use your phone as a way to relax and disengage when you have downtime,” Dr. Lewkowitz points out. 

Using your device while you’re behind the wheel is dangerous too. Distracted driving, particularly the act of sending and reading texts, is life-threatening, causing car crashes that resulted in nearly 3,300 deaths in 2023. 

Find more about what’s safe and what isn’t during pregnancy in the What to Expect app.

Should you make any changes to your tech habits during pregnancy?

Again, the studies on cellphone use during pregnancy are extremely limited, and there are no expert recommendations saying you should change your usual habits for health reasons. 

But if some extra insurance would make you feel more comfortable, you can keep your phone a few feet away when you’re not using it and opt for a hands-free device to reduce your exposure to radio waves. 

And rather than carrying your cellphone in a pocket that’s close to your growing belly, you could leave it on the kitchen counter during the day and on your bedside table (instead of under your pillow) at night.

Try to put any worries about radiation into context too. While it may potentially be a concern, there are so many proven things you can do that we know have a major impact on the health of your pregnancy and your baby, like exercising, eating a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol, and keeping up with your prenatal appointments.

What’s more, consider using your pregnancy as an opportunity to practice spending a little less time on your phone in general — so you’re not reaching for it at the expense of interacting with your baby. 

“You don’t want your baby to be competing for attention with your phone, even when your baby is just trying to make eye contact with you,” Dr. Lewkowitz says.

The bottom line? The general consensus is that you can keep using your cellphone for everything you already use it for. Just don’t use it as a replacement for interacting with your baby.