Special body orifice scanning system (Boss) chairs will be placed in YOIs across England and Wales to detect small metallic objects, such as mobile phones or weapons, concealed internally.
The move is part of a rev-amp of searching and security across the entire prison network, after a government report by ex-chief constable David Blakey on the supply of drugs published last July.
But concerns have been raised that the chairs may emit dangerous levels of magnetic fields, while campaign groups are split on whether their use is justified.
Mike Loughlin, whose firm Eurologix supplied chairs at £6,000 each for the pilot projects, is concerned that the majority of chairs were bought from outside the UK and adhere to different safety standards. He told CYP Now he has raised his worries with the Ministry of Justice.
But a spokeswoman for HM Prison Service said the Boss chairs complied with the applicable British and European regulations.
Thomasin Pritchard, policy officer at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said such technology should not be used on children, arguing that it risks demeaning them. "I'm not sure replacing strip-searching with technology is part of the welfare-led app-roach we would advocate."
However, Penelope Gibbs, director at the Prison Reform Trust, said alternatives to strip-searching are welcome.
"There is no excuse for strip-searching. If children have come from care and been abused in the past there is a concern that strip-searching can be a very traumatic experience," she said.
A spokeswoman for HM Prison Service said: "We are rolling out a range of technologies to strengthen local searching and security strategies, including Boss chairs, in line with the recommendations of the Blakey report."
A Youth Justice Board spokeswoman said a review on the use of full searches is in progress, with the findings to be published this summer.
The chairs were due to be introduced in March, but have been delayed until May.
