My teen daughter listens to music on her iPhone constantly. Do I need to worry that the volume of the earbuds will damage her hearing?
Ever since there has been portable music there has been arguing between parents and their children regarding how loud they are listening. Over the years, technology has allowed the speakers to become smaller, with greater clarity and more power. This led to the creation of earbuds.
In the 1980’s, there was the Sony Walkman, which allowed a person to listen to their own music. Development of high quality headphones and then smaller earphones allowed someone to listen to their own music in public without disturbing others; however, since that same time, audiologists (hearing specialists) have been concerned about the possility of permanent trauma to the ears.
In 1994, a study on children 12-19 years old who had been surveyed between 1988 and 1994, showed that 14.9 percent had some hearing loss, with 3.5 percent having a 25 decibel loss – enough for the person to be aware. In 2005-2006 the same survey was performed and determined that now 19.5 percent had some hearing loss. Furthermore, 5.3 percent of this group had a 25 decibel loss.
These findings in teens are similar to the findings one sees in aging adults. It is believed to be due to the ear buds focusing the noise directly toward the ear drum, thereby increasing the intensity of the noise. There is some evidence that the level of sound can be equivalent to listening to a rock concert; therefore, it is recommended that the listener be very careful about how loud to listen to one’s music.
To help decrease the possibility of further injury, a person should not listen to music for no longer than 60 minutes per day, and at a level no higher than 60 percent of the maximum value. After all, once there is hearing loss, there is no recovery. Loss of hearing can affect school due to missed information. So be careful and monitor the music and the noise.
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