No matter where you look these days, people are using headphones or earbuds. Whether for school, work or leisure, they seem to have become a necessary accessory for adults and children alike.
However, experts say using headphones or earbuds at high volumes for too long can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. And while this can happen at any age, there’s growing concern about the impact on young ears.
A 2022 study published in the journal BMJ Global Health found that unsafe listening practices – from both personal listening devices and loud entertainment venues – could place more than 1 billion people aged 12-34 at risk of hearing loss.
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Valerie Simard, an audiologist and clinical manager of communication disorders and otolaryngology at SickKids in Toronto, said she has seen more children come to SickKids with hearing problems in recent years than in the past.
Prolonged exposure to loud noise can permanently damage the hair cells in the cochlea – the inner part of the ear – which are essential for hearing, explained Simard.
Tweens and teens are at high risk because they spend so much time using headphones or earbuds for gaming, listening to music or social media. But younger children can also be vulnerable since their auditory systems are still developing and their ear canals are smaller, meaning it takes less noise to cause damage.
Some people may also develop hypersensitivity to sound, said Dr. Anne Woolliams, a registered audiologist and owner of Soundwave Hearing Care, a hearing loss clinic with several sites in Alberta. She said her clinics are seeing more kids with this issue, especially those who spend a lot of time gaming.
“They game eight, 10 hours a day where they’re wearing noise-cancelling headphones,” Dr. Woolliams said. This means when they take their headphones off, it can be harder to process typical sounds in the world around them.
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Fortunately, experts say using headphones or earbuds is not all bad. In fact, early exposure to literacy resources and music with headphones can be a good auditory training tool for the brain if used in moderation, explained Dr. Woolliams. However, following practices that can help minimize the risks and protect hearing is crucial.
Limit the volume and take breaks
Both Simard and Dr. Woolliams suggest following the 60-60 rule: listening at 60 percent of the device’s maximum volume for 60 minutes, followed by a break.
For younger kids, Simard advises parents to activate the volume control on devices. “Teenagers can easily override these, but for the younger kids, it’s a good option,” she said.
Another strategy Simard advocates is the arms-length test: “Someone listening under headphones or using earbuds should still be able to hear a speaker at arm’s length speaking at a normal conversational level.”
Don’t use them to drown out background noise
Dr. Susan Scollie, a professor in the faculty of health sciences and director of the National Centre for Audiology at the University of Western Ontario, says cranking the volume to cover up background noise – such as on a noisy subway or plane – increases the risk of damage.
“What’s a better idea is headphones that actually physically block the sound or that have the noise reduction built into the headphones, rather than making the music louder,” she said.
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However, Dr. Scollie said, people should consider what type of device is best suited to the environment they’re in. For example, if you are walking down the street and need to be able to hear the sound of traffic, then regular earbuds – which still allow some background noise to be heard – are preferable to noise-reducing headphones.
Be intentional about when to use them
Dr. Woolliams, who is also a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of audiology and speech sciences, encourages people to be intentional about how and when they use personal listening devices. “Use the headphones when you want to study and focus, but if you’re having a conversation with someone, take it off, take breaks,” she said.
“Especially with earbuds, don’t just have them lingering in your ear. Use them actively and then when you don’t need them, take them out, because even just having a dead earbud in your ear, you’re blocking the normal signal of the world coming in.” For the youth and adolescent brain, she said, this can lead to hypersensitivity to sound, delays or atypical auditory processing skills and hearing loss in one ear.
Recognize the signs of hearing loss
While prevention is the best medicine, it’s also important to recognize the early signs of noise-induced hearing loss or hypersensitivity, so you know when to seek help.
According to Dr. Woolliams, the signs can be subtle but if a kid is complaining that things are too loud, struggling to hear or taking longer to process information – it may be time to go see an audiologist.
Other signs include asking for frequent repetitions, complaining that the sound is muffled or experiencing a ringing in the ears, called tinnitus.
But Simard cautions that it can take a long time for the impact of hearing loss to become noticeable, which is why safe listening education for youth is key.
Dr. Scollie agrees it’s important to talk to kids about how to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
“My kids both wear earbuds all the time. I can’t make them not, they’re teenagers. I’ve talked with them about safety from two points of view, one is not getting hit by a car and two is not damaging your hearing.”
She puts her advice simply: “Don’t crank it up too loud, don’t listen to it for too long, but enjoy it when you are.”
