If you were to hear that young people are highly at risk for hearing loss, it might come as a great surprise to you. We know that hearing loss is most common among older adults, and degenerative hearing loss will strike against the vast majority of people who live to older age. Yet, new technologies are offering hearing environments that might have lasting effects on young people between the ages of 12 and 35.

Two organizations—the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunications Union—have teamed up to help prevent 1.1 billion young people from premature hearing loss due to recreational sound. Here’s what we need to know about hearing loss among young people and what these organizations are doing to help protect them against damaging sound.

The Statistics

The World Health Organization estimates that 5 percent of the world’s population, or a whopping 466 million people, are currently living with disabling hearing loss. Among them 34 million people are children, many of whom are born with hearing challenges or who acquired hearing loss at a young age. Most of these people live in lower or middle-income countries where access to health care, including hearing support, can be hard to come by. The World Health Organization also estimates that by the year 2050 more than 900 million people will have disabling hearing loss. Why the high number? Part of the problem is the use of loud hearing devices in leisure time through headphones or earbuds.

How It Works

One of the major problems facing young people today is the inundation of sound assaulting the ears. Particularly in urban environments, transportation noise, construction sounds, or other busy environments can all contribute to hearing loss in debilitating ways. Yet, many of these sounds have been present for a long time. Why the sudden risk?

The advent of smartphones and other portable technology has made it possible to bring audio devices along with you everywhere you go. When audio from devices, such as music, video, or podcasts, comes to the ears in concert with street sound and other everyday noise, the combination can be quite literally deafeningly loud. Noise cancelling headphones can help quite a bit, and earbuds are a classic culprit in the process of developing hearing loss. Cheaply made earbuds sit inside the ear and allow other ambient noise to enter the ears alongside the intended audio from devices. This combination can add up to very high decibel levels, overwhelming the ears’ ability to hear.

What Can Be Done

Several things can be done on the personal level. Many have suggested using higher quality headphones to limit the sound coming from the environment. Limiting headphone use to quiet places can also help lower the overall level of sound. Taking breaks can be helpful as well; it is not only the overall volume that can be damaging but also the duration during which those sounds are confronting the ears. However, in addition to these individual steps encouraged by the World Health Organization, there are a number of policy recommendations directly to audio device manufacturers. The new standards recommend that audio devices include:

  • The recommended “Sound Allowance” function would monitor the overall level and duration of sound coming to the ears. Along with a personalized reference of the amount of sound coming to the ears on average, this feature would be able to notify users when they have met their personal threshold.

  • Personalized data on usage would make it possible to notify users how they are doing overall, as well as individual trends and changes.
  • Volume limits would allow users to set their own maximum volume rather than using the industry standard out-of-the-box. Parental controls could also limit volume and time for very young users.
  • General information about the damaging effects of leisure noise can help users understand what is the most dangerous and how to control those types of dangerous exposure.

With these new recommendations, the World Health Organization and International Telecommunications Union hope to safeguard young people against the carelessness with which they may approach their own hearing. Although many would admit they want to preserve their hearing, far too many are taking risky actions that might cause unnecessary hearing loss. 

Visit Us at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services

Hearing health is important – no matter your age. At Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services, we provide comprehensive hearing health services for people of all ages! Visit us for an annual hearing test to monitor your hearing abilities today.