According to a study recently conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, young children who talk on cell phones while crossing the street at pedestrian crosswalks are at a higher risk for traffic injury or death than children who do not have the phones. “Cell phones clearly offer convenience and safeguards to families, but they also may pose risk,” the researchers said, “particularly when children attempt to multitask while conversing on the cell phone and have reduced cognitive capacity to devote to potentially dangerous activities such as crossing streets.”

The study used 77 children ages 10 to 11 and employed virtual simulations to test the children’s reaction times. Children who were on a cell phone took 20 percent longer to begin crossing the street, and they were 43 percent more likely to be hit by a vehicle or have a close call in the virtual environment.