Washington – Studies conducted at the University of Michigan Health's CS Mott Children's Hospital showed that listening to loud music through headphones can permanently damage children's hearing, HealthDay News reported today.
According to the National Children's Health Survey developed by the Children's Center, two out of three parents say their children between the ages of five and 12 regularly put listening devices in their ears.
This includes half of children aged five to eight, which health experts say is a dangerously young age to expose ears to loud noises for long periods of time.
“What has worried us most in recent years is the overuse of audio devices by teenagers. “But headphones have become increasingly popular and common among younger children, regularly exposing them to louder noise,” said pediatrician Susan Woolford.
He explained that young children are more vulnerable to the potential harm of noise because their hearing systems are still developing.
Half of parents whose children use listening devices said they spend at least an hour a day with them, while one in six said a typical day includes at least two hours of use, survey results showed. The survey.
The concern is so great that the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement last year on the need to reduce children's exposure to noise, including the use of listening devices.
Woolford says prolonged or extreme exposure to high levels of noise can cause hearing loss or tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears.
He added that noise exposure in children can also affect sleep, academic learning, stress levels and even blood pressure.
He explained that a good way to tell if an audio device is too loud is if a child using headphones can't hear it when they're an arm's length away.
Woolford recommended parents follow the 60/60 rule: no more than 60 minutes a day with headphones and no more than 60 percent of maximum volume.
You could also encourage children to enjoy music at low volumes in their rooms instead of using headphones, the expert said.
“Early signs of hearing loss may include asking someone to repeat themselves, hearing frequent ringing noises, talking loudly to people nearby, delayed speech, or unresponsiveness to loud noises,” Woolford said.