State Government says no to ’Selfie with Newborn’

State Government says no to ’Selfie with Newborn’

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru: September 4, 2015: Your desire to capture the joy of welcoming your newborn baby to this world may not come true as the government is planning to ban clicking pictures on cellphones in post-delivery wards in both private and state-run hospitals across the state.

Explaining how taking cellphone pictures of babies will affect their health, a clerk in Bantwal had written a letter to health and family welfare minister UT Khader.

Khader told officials in a directive: "Ashiq Kukkaje has brought to my notice that people are clicking pictures of babies in their cellphones in hospitals. The letter warns that infants can turn blind or suffer other complications when their pictures are taken using a cellphone camera in flash mode. The petitioner has sought a complete ban on clicking pictures using cellphones in all hospitals. Hence, necessary action should be taken immediately."

Kukkaje said: "Recently, I read an online article on this issue. This might result in babies losing their eyesight."

"Cellphones emit a form of non-ionizing radiation. The practice of clicking selfies with babies and posting them online has increased. The trend is growing, and there are no checks. I had requested the health minister to issue a directive asking hospitals to install boards explaining the health hazard. My effort did not go waste," Kukkaje said, showing a copy of the minister’s letter.