The Real Cost of Your Phone: In the heart of Africa, miners as young as seven risk their lives Searching for cobalt, a key element in smartphones and other electronics we use every day.

• Author: Zissou, Rebecca
• Position: INTERNATIONAL

Paul * was just 12 years old when he was forced to start working in mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a country in Central Africa.

Day after day, he'd descend hundreds of feet underground without any protective gear. Using a small chisel, he'd spend up to 24 hours at a time searching for cobalt, an essential component of the rechargeable batteries that power our smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices.

Collecting cobalt is backbreaking--and life-threatening--work. At any moment, the mine's tunnels could have caved in, leaving Paul buried in an avalanche of rocks and dirt. Cobalt miners are also exposed to toxic materials that can cause cancer, lung disease, and other serious health problems.

Last fall, an investigation by American journalists highlighted the hazardous conditions of the cobalt industry in the DRC, where 60 percent of the world's cobalt is mined. The report detailed a number of human rights abuses, including a lack of worker protections and the use of child laborers like Paul.

In response, Apple and other tech companies vowed to clean up their supply chains and pay more attention to how the materials in their products are obtained.

But experts say the problems surrounding cobalt mining won't be easy to fix. That's partly because demand for electronics--and the cobalt that helps power them--is on the rise. The amount of cobalt needed for battery manufacturing is expected to double by 2025. (Cobalt is also used in paint, jet engines, and other products.)

Mark Dummett of Amnesty International, an aid organization, says the DRC must do a better job protecting cobalt miners' safety and making sure that kids aren't working in the industry. Consumers need to get involved too, he adds, by holding companies accountable.

"Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made," Dummett says. "It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products."

A Vital Source of Income

The DRC is one of the world's poorest countries. According to the World Bank, 77 percent of the nation's population lives in extreme poverty-- often defined as living on less than $1.90 a day. Many people there lack running water, access to electricity, and economic opportunities.

But the country is also rich in natural resources. In addition to cobalt, the DRC has huge deposits of gold, diamonds, and copper. Mining these and other materials can be a vital source of income for hundreds of thousands of people. On a good day, for example, cobalt miners can earn $2 to $3 for their haul. That can be enough for workers to feed their families.

Still, the risks associated with cobalt mining are huge. Many workers lack safety equipment, such as helmets, gloves, and face masks.

"The work is very dangerous," says Benoit Nemery, a public health researcher in Belgium who has studied the DRC's mining industry. "Accidents are common."

Indeed, in 2014, 16 cobalt miners were killed in a landslide, and another 15 died in an underground fire. The following year, 13 people were killed when a mine collapsed.

Child labor is also common in the DRC. In 2012, the United Nations Children's Fund estimated that 40,000 kids work in the mining industry in the southern part of the country, mainly in cobalt and copper mines.

Many of them are forced to work to help support their families. One girl said she started mining at the age of 9, after her father lost his job and couldn't afford to feed their family. "I could only eat when I had enough money," she said.

Communities at Risk

Even children who don't work in the mines are still exposed to toxic chemicals. Many kids sort through and wash the pieces of cobalt brought up by the miners.

Delphin Mutela, now 13, began helping his mother clean cobalt in a river when he was just 8 years old. He told reporters that he...