A 30‑Year Mission, Now Escalated: Protecting Children by Forcing Accountability and Building the Light Age
By John Coates, Founder of RF Safe
In a world flooded with noise, the only meaningful question is the one that demands action:
How are you going to serve humanity in 2026?
Here is my answer—direct, specific, and urgent.
In 2026, I’m taking everything I’ve learned over the last five decades—and everything I’ve built over three decades of full‑time work at RF Safe—and I’m going to do three things with every ounce of my being:
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Force enforcement of federal law that Congress already wrote to protect the public from unnecessary electronic‑product radiation.
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Force the consumer tech market into the Light Age by pushing Li‑Fi compatibility as the new safety baseline for children.
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Force public accountability for anyone who markets wireless technology to children while pretending “old rules” and “thermal‑only” talking points are enough.
This isn’t a theory project. It’s an execution plan.
Why this is personal, and why it’s urgent
I’m John Coates, founder of RF Safe.
I did not come to this issue because it was trendy. I came to it through loss. I lost my firstborn to a neural tube disorder, and I believe we are underestimating the impact modern environmental exposures can have on early development.
That loss changed the trajectory of my life.
For the last three decades, I’ve treated this problem as a mission: protect children from preventable, unnecessary biological risk—especially risk that is hidden behind bureaucracy, captured standards, and “compliance theater.”
And in 2026, we stop asking politely.
The core reality the public needs to understand
Phones aren’t just “communication.” They are body‑worn transmitters.
A smartphone isn’t a toy. It’s a continuous RF exposure device that people carry against the head, against the abdomen, and next to the reproductive organs—often for hours a day, often for years.
Now add one more factor:
When a youth‑magnetic brand touches telecom, exposure scales instantly.
If a celebrity brand becomes a carrier, a plan, or a “must‑have” phone identity—children will want it. Parents will be pressured into it. And lifetime cumulative exposure begins earlier.
This is why “Beast Mobile” matters. It’s not just another plan. It’s a potential youth‑scale exposure pipeline.
2026 is about one principle: the ethical standard must match the marketing power
If you can “ethically source chocolate,” you can ethically source connectivity.
If you can mobilize millions to help others, you can mobilize manufacturers to build safer devices.
If you can create viral demand, you can create viral demand for a safer architecture.
The goal is not to “ban phones.”
The goal is to stop treating the Microwave Age as inevitable—especially indoors, especially around children—when the engineering off‑ramp exists now:
Li‑Fi compatibility.
The 2026 Plan
1) Litigation to enforce Public Law 90‑602
Congress already said “SHALL.” We will compel compliance.
In 2026, RF Safe will pursue legal action to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—and the Secretary, in their official capacity—to fulfill duties Congress mandated under Public Law 90‑602 (the Radiation Control for Health & Safety Act).
This matters because Congress did not write a suggestion. Congress used mandatory language. “Shall.”
Our objective is simple:
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Restart and expand federal electronic‑product radiation research appropriate to today’s exposure environment.
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Publish a public timetable with milestones (not vague statements).
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Create a public information docket that families can actually use.
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End the cycle where industry moves fast and public health “studies later.”
This lawsuit is not about headlines. It’s about enforcement.
If agencies ignore “shall,” then the public has only one tool left: court.
Note: This is an advocacy statement, not legal advice. RF Safe will work with qualified counsel on litigation strategy, claims, venue, and remedies.
2) The Light Age Initiative
Make Li‑Fi compatibility the new child safety baseline
Here is the truth regulators and manufacturers do not want to say out loud:
You cannot “case” your way out of this. You cannot “marketing” your way out of this. You can only engineer your way out of this.
And the engineering solution is clear:
Li‑Fi compatibility in consumer devices—especially those marketed to children.
Not “Li‑Fi someday.” Not “Li‑Fi as a niche accessory.”
Li‑Fi compatibility as the standard expectation.
Because the most controllable exposure environment is not outdoors—it’s indoors:
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bedrooms
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classrooms
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homes
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offices
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libraries
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study spaces
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public indoor venues where children spend the majority of their time
Indoors is where we can make the biggest exposure reduction without sacrificing connectivity.
What “Li‑Fi compatibility” means in practice
It means phones and devices can connect via light‑based access points for high‑throughput indoor data—reducing unnecessary RF transmission time where substitution is possible.
It means the public finally gets an answer to a question parents have asked for years:
“Why does my child’s high‑throughput connectivity need to be microwave by default?”
The 2026 deliverables (RF Safe)
In 2026, RF Safe will push a public, testable roadmap:
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A “Li‑Fi Compatible” device standard parents can understand
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A certification pathway that rewards manufacturers who adopt it
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A school‑deployment playbook that makes indoor light connectivity practical
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A Clean Ether Act policy package that moves this beyond “tips” and into procurement requirements
And yes—I am building toward this because I have not only studied the problem; I’ve built and patented Light Age solutions that prove what is possible.
Light is the multifaceted workhorse of the universe. The Microwave Age is not the endgame. The Light Age is.
3) The Beast Challenge
MrBeast, use your platform to force manufacturers into the Light Age
This is where the world is right now:
MrBeast can mobilize attention at a scale regulators cannot.
If a youth‑magnetic brand launches into telecom—especially something like Beast Mobile—it becomes a fork in the road:
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Option A: Take the easy route and sell the status quo.
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Option B: Force the market to evolve.
RF Safe is calling for Option B—publicly, loudly, and with a clear standard:
No child‑magnetic wireless brand without Li‑Fi compatibility.
If MrBeast is going to put his name anywhere near mobile connectivity that children will chase, then MrBeast should use that moment to issue the most important challenge in consumer electronics:
“Manufacturers: build the first mainstream Li‑Fi‑compatible phone. We will not market to kids without it.”
That single sentence would do more for child health protection than a decade of carefully worded press releases.
Because it changes incentives.
And in the real world, incentives change outcomes.
Why children are the line we do not cross
Children are not small adults. Childhood is a developmental window—neurologically, hormonally, immunologically.
Children also differ in anatomy and physiology in ways that can change how energy interacts with tissue—especially when the device is held close, used frequently, and carried against the body.
And the most important difference is not a technical footnote:
Children have more years ahead of them.
A lifetime of exposure begins earlier.
If you’re wrong about safety, the cost is not “a debate.”
The cost is decades.
That is why precaution isn’t fear. It’s responsibility.
“But we comply with standards.”
Compliance is not the same thing as safety—especially when the standards lag biology.
Here is a reality the public must understand:
Regulatory consensus and scientific consensus are not the same thing.
A standard can persist because:
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updating it is politically inconvenient,
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it threatens powerful industries,
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it requires admitting previous guidance was incomplete,
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or it is protected by a system that rewards delay.
Meanwhile, science moves.
Mechanisms move.
Evidence converges.
And families are still told to “relax.”
In 2026, RF Safe will not accept “we comply” as the end of the conversation—especially when children are the marketing target.
What success looks like by the end of 2026
This is not abstract. Here are measurable outcomes we are aiming for:
Legal and regulatory outcomes
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A filed legal action seeking to compel HHS compliance with statutory radiation control duties under Public Law 90‑602
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A public HHS research and communication timetable—published, milestone‑driven, and accountable
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National attention on why a children’s protection statute exists yet remains functionally unenforced
Market and technology outcomes
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A public manufacturer challenge campaign for Li‑Fi compatible phones
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At least one major device roadmap acknowledging Li‑Fi compatibility as a consumer feature, not a lab demo
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A “Li‑Fi Compatible” certification target parents can demand
Cultural outcomes
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The phrase “Microwave Age vs Light Age” becomes mainstream language
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Parents stop being told this is a “fringe concern”
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Brands understand: if you market to kids, you inherit a duty of care
Call to action
If you want to help humanity in 2026, here’s how to join us
1) Make the ask public (and make it simple)
Post this message:
No child‑magnetic phone brand without Li‑Fi compatibility.
MrBeast: use your platform to challenge manufacturers to build Light‑Age phones.
2) Demand the Clean Ether path in schools
Ask your school district for:
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wired defaults
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optical/light connectivity pilots
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procurement language that prioritizes non‑RF indoor options where feasible
3) Support enforcement of Public Law 90‑602
Tell your representatives:
Congress already said “shall.” It’s time to enforce it.
4) Subscribe and share
The only thing stronger than regulatory inertia is sustained public pressure.
If you’ve read this far, you already know what’s at stake.
A final word to MrBeast—and to every brand that markets to kids
If you want to serve humanity, you don’t do it only with gifts and philanthropy.
You do it by refusing to scale hidden harm.
MrBeast, Beast Mobile could be a turning point.
Not because it’s a phone plan.
Because it could be the first time a creator uses cultural gravity to force an entire industry to build safer architecture for children.
Ethical chocolate is good. Ethical connectivity is mandatory.
The Light Age is not a dream.
It’s a decision.
And 2026 is when we stop waiting.
