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Children should text not talk because of concerns about mobile phone safety, a government health adviser has warned.

Official advice for under-16s says although the health effects of using a mobile phone are still unknown, young people should be cautious and keep calls as short as possible or text instead.

A number of studies have suggested that heavy mobile phone use might increase the risk of a brain tumour. But this will not be confirmed for at least another decade as it takes years for these types of cancers to grow.

Dr Tony Jewell, the chief medical officer for Wales, said "We don't expect young people to stop using mobile phones altogether, but there are steps they can take to protect their health for the future.

"Protecting the health of the young people is a priority, and although current research indicates that using mobile phones does not appear to cause health problems, more work is still to be done.”

The Welsh Assembly Government has made leaflets offering young people and their parents precautionary guidance on mobile phone use available electronically.

One leaflet is aimed at children aged 7 to 11 years old and the other is aimed at teenagers.

Health Minister Edwina Hart said there had been public demand for information to be made available for children on mobile phones and their health.

She explained "These leaflets, which children across Wales helped shape, provide guidance on safe mobile phone use; the precautionary advice has been put in an easy and understandable language and format for children and young people."

Earlier this year, one of the government’s leading scientific advisers recommended that children below the age of 12 should not use mobile phones.

To view the leaflet on mobile phone use aimed at teenagers, please click here.