Listen up! Are those headphones safe for your kids?

If you’re lucky this Christmas Day you might be opening a new iPad, gaming console or mobile phone. If that’s the case, or if a child or young person in your life, will be receiving new tech as a present, please ensure you – and they – enjoy using these presents at safe listening levels. 

Headphones, earphones and earbuds – known as ‘hearables’ – are increasingly used by all of us to listen to our favourite music, films, programmes and podcasts while we’re on the go or even when we’re at home. This obviously introduces the potential for exposure to excessive noise – and therefore hearing damage – if volumes are too high.

A little while ago the World Health Organisation and the International Telecommunications Union teamed up to produce hearing safety standard recommendations for hearables, which enable parents to set and control volume levels on compliant devices.

These enable you to set levels and time limits for sound exposure on individual hearable devices, regardless of the source of audio the devices are connected to.

The volume of audio through each hearable will automatically keep the sound exposure to below recommended limits, ultimately cutting the volume altogether when the maximum time allowance is reached.

Here at The Hearing Clinic we’re big advocates of healthy hearing education. Please do talk to your children and grandchildren about the importance of keeping listening levels reasonable. Regular reinforcement will help them get into good and safe listening habits which will stand them in good stead for the future.

Remember there are some very handy free decibel and sound meters available to download from the App Store or Google Play. You’d be amazed at the sound levels many of us are subjected to every day!

All of us here at The Hearing Clinic wish you all a happy, safe and sound Christmas and New Year!