We live in a world full of noise, from busy city streets to noisy schools and crowded shopping malls. Noise fills our ears all day every day, but for our kids, the noise is even closer to home. Children and teens of today face higher levels of hearing loss than ever before, thanks to the earbuds that seem to be permanently attached to their ears.
How Earbuds and Headphones are Impacting Hearing Health
In the past few years, earbuds and headphones have come into common use. We slip them in to keep us entertained on the commute to work, keep us motivated during our workout, or keep us company when we take the dog for a walk. Our kids and teens are using them even more than we do, to listen to music, play games, and talk on the phone with friends after school. It’s estimated that around 1 billion people are at risk of noise induced hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices and overuse of earbuds and headphones. Many of these are children and teens.
This nearly constant use of earbuds has some severe consequences. Many young people suffer from hearing loss at a very early age. Now more than ever before, seniors aren’t the only ones at risk of hearing loss. The strain of constant noise exposure is leading to higher rates of hearing loss in children than ever before. Not only that, but all it takes is one afternoon or one very loud event to permanently damage hearing, even in children.
How Loud Is Too Loud?
The maximum volume on an iPhone or iPod is around 102 decibels, or roughly the volume of a chainsaw. At this volume, it only takes an hour or two to sustain permanent hearing damage, but our kids love cranking up the volume. Common sense tells us that the louder the volume, the shorter we’re able to listen without damaging our ears. This is worrying because we’re all guilty of turning up the volume to tune out background noises and shouldn’t be shocked when our kids do the same.
Protecting Your Hearing
If your kids are spending a lot of time listening to music or playing games with earbuds or headphones, take the time to sit down with them and explain the risks of hearing loss, and the damage they’re doing to their ears when they listen at full volume. A good rule to implement is the 60/60 rule. Only listen at 60% of the volume and take a break every 60 minutes to give your ears a rest. If you’re wondering how loud is too loud, ask the person sitting next to you if they can hear your music. If the answer is yes, you need to turn down the volume.
Keeping Track of Your Kids Hearing Health
Have young children that aren’t always good at following directions? No problem. Many devices come with the option to install parent controls, such as capping the maximum volume within safe listening levels. You can also download a number of free apps to track decibel levels and show you how much noise exposure you or your child are getting. It will help you make smart decisions for your hearing health by showing you when you or your family are listening at unsafe levels.
Investing in Quality Headphones
Another way to protect your kids hearing is to invest in a pair of quality headphones for their next birthday gift. Getting headphones that are noise cancelling will improve sound quality and remove the temptation to turn up the volume to unsafe levels just to be able to make out the music over loud background sounds.
Treating Hearing Loss
Are you worried that your child might have hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises? Visit us today at Hearing Wellness Solutions for a hearing assessment. They’re completely non-invasive and easy, and your kid will have fun listening for tones in high and low registers. Once we have a clear picture of your child’s hearing health, we’ll help you find the perfect device to make sure they’re keeping up with their hearing peers, participating in the classroom, communicating easily, and protecting their hearing through safe listening practices.