Teen Hearing Loss
Is Your Teen At Risk?
Teen Hearing Loss
Girl With iPod
A recent national study states that one of five teens have already lost part of their hearing. The data was compiled from a survey of nearly 3,000 12 - 19 year olds. While the evidence is not conclusive, it is sufficient for parents to be concerned about the volume coming out of the headphones plugged into their child's ears.
The new study compares data to a similar one done in 2005. The hearing loss increased from fifteen percent to nearly twenty percent. Based on the figures from this study it is estimated that about 6.5 million teens may have slight hearing loss.
What to Look For
Teens with slight hearing loss might not be able to hear water dripping in a sink, or possibly their mother whispering "good night". Other signs are not being able to hear consonant sounds like t, k, and s. Vowel sounds can be heard but not the consonants, making the speech of others hard to understand.
A similar Australian study links hearing loss to the use of personal listening devices. This study claims a 70 percent increase in hearing loss when the kids are using these devices.
Loud music has been with us since at least the 60's, it's nothing new. It seems, however, that today's kids are listening for much longer periods of time than ever before. And the new and better technology makes it easy to do, with better sound at louder volumes.
As parents, should you be concerned?
It's certainly something to consider, and possibly monitor. Users of Apple iPods have the ability to set the volume limits. This is something parents can do and lock the setting with a special code. Other makes and models may have similar functions and that presents one way parents can limit the volume of music going into, and possibly damaging, the ears of their children.
Hearing loss is something we expect in our older years, not something you expect as a teenager.
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