Amazon promotes listings for ‘anti-radiation’ stickers

The stickers claim to protect users against harmful radiation

Amazon has been promoting “anti-radiation” stickers, which claim to reduce the “harmful effects” of mobile phones, through sponsored shopping listings on its website and even named one as “Amazon’s Choice”, The Telegraph has found.

Sellers on Amazon have paid for sponsored listings to promote £9.99 packs of stickers that claim without evidence to protect against radiation.

Other products claim to offer protection against 5G and Wi-Fi signals.

One sticker pack being sold in the “alternative medicine” section of Amazon has been given the prominent label of “Amazon’s Choice for EMF [electromagnetic field] protection”.

The seller claims that the gold stickers “effectively reduce large amounts of radiation exposure from many electronic devices.” It is one of more than 300 listings for anti-radiation stickers on the online retail giant’s website.

Sellers advise users to paste the stickers, some of which contain small amounts of metal, to phones, laptops, microwaves and tablets.

The US Federal Trade Commission has said such mobile signal radiation shields are “totally ineffective” and described them as a “scam”. Sites including Wish.com and eBay also host listings for similar stickers.

Amazon said it was investigating the products but declined to comment further. eBay removed a listing flagged by The Telegraph and said it did not allow products that made false health claims. Wish did not respond to requests for comment.

Multiple products promoted protection for pregnancies

Ken Munro, of hardware experts Pen Test Partners, said: “Multiple respected peer-reviewed journals have published research showing that 5G is not harmful. There is no equivalent body of research showing that it is harmful, just pseudoscience. My strong suspicion is that these are just stickers.”

One Amazon listing by a third party seller for radiation stickers claimed the product “counteracts harmful effects of EMF radiation generated by various electronic devices, providing comprehensive protection”. 

The stickers also claim to “effectively remove phenomena such as headaches and hair loss”. There is no evidence that electromagnetic fields generated by smartphones cause health problems.

Amazon also promotes sponsored listings that offer products claiming to reduce radiation exposure or protect against the effects of 5G signals. They include anti-5G umbrellas, crystals and phone cases.

Michael Marshall, of the Good Thinking Society, said: “These products capitalise on two things: the widespread and misplaced fearmongering around the safety of mobile phones and Wi-Fi, and the public’s lack of understanding of how those technologies work.”