Rates of Hearing Loss Dropping Among Young People

For those of you worried for the young people in your life, we have some good news. You’ve watched your kids or grandkids spend hours with earbuds jammed in their ears, whether it’s on the couch doing homework, on the bus to school, or even when they hang out with their friends. It seems impossible for them to unplug, and this makes you worry about their hearing. And with good reason too, since many studies have shown that listening to music with earbuds for so many hours a day will cause inevitable and permanent hearing loss! A new study has found some encouraging results, and may signal a turnaround in this trend.

While young people may experience hearing loss due to several factors, the most common form of hearing loss is Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) which is a direct result of over-exposure to loud noises. For adults, this is often due to excessively loud work places, but for teens the reason for the hearing loss is subtler. Teens are notorious for listening to music at all hours of the day or night, and it can be hard to spot a teen without earbuds nestled into their ears. Whether they’re hanging out with friends or at home, the music is always on. This creates a problem though, since they often listen to the music too loudly, and are inadvertently damaging their hearing. A good rule of thumb is if the person sitting beside you can hear your music, it’s too loud and you will be damaging your hearing.

For young people a decade ago, the results of hearing tests were grim. Many experienced some hearing loss, brought on by over exposure to loud noises from their earbud use, or from attending concerts by their favorite rockers. In 2007-8, moderate hearing loss affected 22.5% of teens.

The good news is that a recent analysis shows that rates of hearing loss in teens is dropping since its all-time high a decade ago. A study published in JAMA Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery looked at data from all across the country, testing hearing of American teens ages 12 to 19. Looking at data from the past 20 years, they found that the rate of moderate hearing loss is now around 15% for American teens. Why has there been a drop in rates of hearing loss? Dr. Dylan Chan, assistant professor at the University of California in San Francisco, points to changes in behaviour, from avoiding loud noise to wearing volume-limiting headphones that put a cap on how high teens can turn up their music.

While this is great news, don’t get too comfortable just yet. Hearing loss among teens is still high, and we should all be vigilant about helping our young people listen safely. Encourage the 60/60 rule. Never listen with the volume higher than 60% to protect your ears from dangerously loud sounds. And it’s advised to take a break every 60 minutes so that your ears have a chance to rest. Dr. Chan, while happy for the good news and the lower rates of hearing loss, warns about becoming complacent. “I hope people don’t take this as an excuse to say noise-induced hearing loss is not a problem, so we can go back to listening to headphones at full volume,” he says. NIHL is still a major problem facing both teens and adults, and everyone needs to take hearing loss seriously.

If you’ve never had a chat with your teen about the dangers of hearing loss, or how to have safe listening practices, it’s time to have that conversation. Hearing loss can have serious repercussions that will last a life-time, affecting language and speech development, slowing academic performance, and leading to worse social functioning. If you or a loved one has hearing loss, or you suspect your teen has hearing loss, visit us at My Hearing Centers for an assessment, and check up on your hearing health. We’ll give you tips on how to safeguard your hearing, when you should wear ear protection, and will help you choose a hearing devise that could change your life, or give your teen a new world of opportunities.