Children and teenagers are being increasingly exposed to noise health risks through their use of earbuds and headphones, US researchers claim, and a new survey shows young children are also at risk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advised in a patient care information sheet that children should “use headphones and earbuds with caution”.
Its earlier policy statement on preventing excessive noise exposure in infants, children and adolescents, released in late 2023, said “the most prevalent exposure encountered is likely to be from personal listening devices (PLDs)”.
“Listening to music is very important to many people,” it states. “Excessive and/or prolonged exposure to high volumes, however, can result in hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or hyperacusis (increased sensitivity to sound at levels that would not trouble most people).
“Children and youth often have excessive exposures through PLDs.”
The academy said noise exposure was a paediatric issue because of the susceptibility of the developing auditory system.
Its childhood noise exposure patient sheet said doctors could reduce harms by raising awareness of children’s vulnerabilities to noise and added headphones and PLDs were increasingly used, even by small children.
A new survey released in February by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan Health backed the comment, highlighting the high prevalence of use of the audio devices among younger school-aged children.
“Noise exposure among children can affect their sleep, academic learning, language development, stress levels and even blood pressure,” authors of the survey said.
“At extreme levels, noise exposure can lead to irreversible hearing loss along with other negative health consequences. Since children’s ear canals are much smaller than adults, perceived sound levels are intensified, increasing their vulnerability to noise damage.
“The proliferation of personal listening devices, many marketed to young children, puts them at increased risk of this preventable problem.”
Researchers said that because the issue of noise exposure and audio device use in children was relatively new, their effects on hearing and hearing loss had not been fully documented.
University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
The Mott Poll Report asked 1,152 parents of children aged five to 12 years about their child’s use of headphones and earbuds. Two-thirds said their child used them, with half saying typical use was one hour daily while 16% used them at least two hours a day. Only half of parents had tried to limit usage.
“Once thought to be primarily a concern for teens and young adults, these findings emphasise the widespread use of headphones and earbuds among younger children,” the researchers wrote.
They said many parents gave their child an audio device when in public or traveling but when external sounds are loud, children may turn up the volume so they can still hear which increases noise exposure.
Volume and duration of exposure linked to damage
Risk of hearing damage was linked to volume and duration of noise exposure, they added, and over a prolonged period, noise above 70 decibels such as an audio device at full volume, a lawnmower or hair dryer may start to damage hearing.
The academy said several studies confirmed that hearing loss was common in children, adolescents, and young adults with recent data suggesting one in six high school students had evidence of hearing loss. Noise exposure was a likely contributor to hearing loss in some, the statement said.
“Many manufacturers claim to limit the volume of headphones to 85 decibels but some headphones can produce volumes high enough to be hazardous to hearing in minutes. Although many headphones have volume-reduction features, some have design flaws allowing children to bypass them.”
One study found 60% of adolescents and young adults exceeded the maximum recommended daily noise dose, particularly in the presence of background noise, which often resulted in the user increasing volume.
Tips to reduce risks include:
- Check information on packages to identify products that limit volume.
- Ensure children can hear when spoken to while using an audio device and that they take breaks from the device.
- Monitor and adjust the volume and time spent on devices.
- Do not allow use when children are sleeping or going to sleep; use parental control features to implement limits.
- Encourage noise-cancelling headphones which deter from turning up the volume (but avoid when walking or bike riding).
- See an appropriate healthcare professional if it is felt the child may be at risk of audio device hearing loss. They may give a simple explanation about hearing loss to the child to help them understand the importance of limiting use.
*Sources: The C.S Mott Children’s Hospital, and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children and Adolescents 2023 policy statement.
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