background / setting; I (18f) was working temporarily in a school (looking after phones for kids in exams etc, this one was summer exams + for a few euro so why not) and ended up talking to an older SNA (knew she, 40-50f, was an SNA due to her helping around a few blind students and another with one I can't identify because I am no professional-)
when myself and the SNA (calling her Karen for this post as she did sound like one for this particular part, don't think she'll come up again but I want to give her a name over a number or letter) were talking, and Karen saw I put my own phone in a folder on my desk, as to stop having it in my pocket where it could overheat (its an oldish phone, don't want it dying and having no contact while I'm out).
Karen says "You shouldn't have that thing out, you'll catch the radiation coming off of that thing?"
I paused, confused because Karen didn't seem like the kind of person to fall for internet idiocy (but, here we are). I then said "You mean... *radio waves*? Or the blue light from the screen? Blue light doesn't go through skin, its through your eyes" and looked at her with confusion, as I tried to say it simply because I assumed she may have been older than she looks, or struggles new technology-wise
She then went on a spiel about how "Those phones are full of radi-something and its poisoning you with it so close to you" and then went on to point out how people hold phones for phone calls now (holding it in front of you rather than up to your ear) and I pointed out that you shouldn't do that in public, that's speakerphone and rude in public (in Ireland, anyway) and that people who hold it like that when on speaker may have a bad microphone or on the phone with someone hard of hearing. Then pointed out the reason we used to hold phones like that for call is because of watching parents do it when they were using payphones or landlines etc. Then also pointed out if they are doing it like that to their ear, they either may be hard of hearing or had younger parents, or just preferred it.
TLDR? - seemingly young-faced SNA didn't believe that phones aren't radioactive and causing cells to stop producing more cells, because they aren't radioactive by nature.
Do people like this actually believe radiation is radiating off of phones, and is how we see locations etc? I asked her about that and she did, but I want to hear if there are more