Skip to main content

Family sues school, claiming strong Wi-Fi signals made their son ill

family sue school wi fi schoolwifi 2
Shutterstock
Although many people have raised concerns over Wi-Fi networks being harmful to humans, in actuality there’s very little evidence to suggest that’s the case. If it were true, almost every wireless gizmo we use, from bluetooth headsets, to remote control cars, would have a similar potential. Still, that hasn’t stopped one Massachusetts family from suing their child’s school, over claims that its Wi-Fi network made their son ill.

However the family isn’t claiming that this is the same old wireless internet that most of us are used to, but a new ‘strong’ Wi-Fi network that the school installed in 2013. They claim it caused their son to begin experiencing nose bleeds, headaches, nausea and a variety of other symptoms. The school administrators deny this, and say that its wireless internet was found to be well within safe standards mandated by the federal government.

Despite this, the family is demanding that the school switch to wired ethernet connections only or reduce the strength of its wireless routers, as well as pay up $250,000 in damages.

According to the suit, the child, referred to only as “G,” suffers from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome, which is not a currently recognised medical diagnosis; although sufferers – who are most commonly self-diagnosed – claim to feel the effects of electromagnetic fields. However, in most test cases, they have been unable to specify the difference between real and non-existent electromagnetic waves.

In this instance, a local physician claims to have diagnosed the child, however the school attests that no tests were conducted and wish to have a second opinion on the diagnosis. The family has refused to comply and says that if the suit is not recognised and their child properly catered to, they may need to pull the child from the school, which he has attended since 2009, according to The Telegram.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Wi-Fi 7 officially hits 5Gbps, five times the speed of your current router
A Wi-Fi router with an ethernet cable plugged in.

Intel and Broadcom have collaborated on a Wi-Fi 7 demo ahead of its prospective 2023 certification, according to PC Gamer.

The two companies showcased the upcoming connectivity standards, successfully demonstrating 5Gbps speeds going between an Intel laptop and a Broadcom access point. The speeds are five times faster than Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6E. They also have the potential to get even faster as Wi-Fi 7 develops as an ecosystem, the publication added.

Read more
The key to fixing your bad Wi-Fi connection may finally be here
Checking a Wi-Fi router and internet connection on a phone.

If you've ever found yourself frustrated due to poor Wi-Fi signal in certain buildings or rooms, we might have some good news -- a solution might be on the way.

A team of researchers from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and the University of Rennes found a new way that could help Wi-Fi signals go through walls.

Read more