How Children's Earphones May Carry Risk of Hearing Loss?

Deanna Meinke Boris Chang hearing loss Earphone headphones earbuds Association Between Portable Music Player Use and Hearing Loss Among Children of School Age in the Netherlands

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Sep 07, 09:01 am

Wearing earphones or headphones for children can be safe depending on the combination of volume, listening duration, and the size of the ear canal, according to Baby Center.

If a song played at a high volume will not likely damage a child's hearing, prolonged listening at high volumes can surely damage hearing over time.

Deanna Meinke, a contributor to Baby Center, said that her practical advice would be to only allow your children to wear headphones or earbuds if they are old enough so they can tell you whether the volume makes them comfortable or not.

As of the moment, no research states how young is too young for earbuds, but truthfully, the younger the child, the smaller the ear canal is, which means the sound level in a young child's ear will be much louder compared to a bigger kid's or an adult's ears.

When parents decide to let their child listen to music or watch videos while wearing earphones, they should consider choosing specialized earbuds so the sound level can remain 85 dBA or decibels or more than the conservative 75 decibels.

Prolonged exposure to loud sounds can permanently damage hearing

The study "Association Between Portable Music Player Use and Hearing Loss Among Children of School Age in the Netherlands" confirmed that the use of headphones is linked with hearing loss in children.

Some 40 percent of the participants used portable music players and were less capable of being able to listen to high-frequency sounds because of noise-included hearing loss (NIHL) compared to peers who did not make use of any portable music players.

The researchers noted that such children were too young to encounter hearing damage from other sources of high-decibel noise, including loud concerts or sporting events. They also noted in Healthline that additional studies are needed to support the findings, but they are sure of one thing - wearing earphones for an extended period can indeed damage a child's hearing; thus, it is not recommended for kids.

What can parents do to avoid hearing loss in young ones?

Boris Chang, an audiologist with Hearing Life in Scarborough, Ontario, clarifies that earphones are not that dangerous if used responsibly and guided by parents correctly. Earbuds or earphones are a vehicle for dangerous noise exposure if misused.

Parents can let their children wear earphones but adjust the maximum volume from 100 dBA to 75. If they can hear the noise from their child's headphones, the music is too loud; thus, adjust the volume level to the advised dBA.

Chang told Today's Parent that kids are more prone to hearing loss; thus, parents need to give their eardrums time to rest. If the headphones are used for two hours, give the ears an hour to take a break, as prolonged exposure to loud sounds can eventually result in hearing loss.