Headphones: the hearing of young people most at risk? Headphones: the hearing of young people most at risk?

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Dangerous sound level

Earbuds and headsets have become an essential part of young people's equipment. Last year, it would have sold 334 million worldwide. In 2015, more than half of Canadians used it and 75% of French people aged 15 to 45.

Using headphones to listen to music, watch a show or play video games is not a problem in itself, if the sound level is adequate. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 53% of adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 35 listen to music at a level considered dangerous by the WHO and by most pediatricians.

A major study published in 2001 concluded that approximately 12.5% ​​of American children and young adults suffer from a hearing loss known as noise-induced threshold hearing. Another, in 2012, established that about 20% of American teenagers aged 12 to 19 have some degree of hearing loss, some of which is attributable to noise damage. This represents a 30% increase in 10 years.

The increase in noise-induced hearing loss cannot be attributed solely to wearing headphones. Young people are exposed to high sound levels in all sorts of other contexts: cafeterias, schoolyards, gymnasiums, amusement halls, cinemas and sporting events... However, specialists believe that their use more and more widespread plays an important role. “AWith the popularization of MP3s, smart phones and tablet computers, the opportunities to wear headphones have multiplied, both on the go and at home. In addition to using them to listen to music, young people use them to watch movies, play video games, talk on the phone,” says Justine Ratelle, audiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine. Thus, many children and adolescents accumulate several hours of listening per day at excessively high sound levels, which puts them at risk of early hearing loss.

Volume + duration + frequency = damage

Hearing damage is caused by three factors: sound volume, duration of exposure and frequency. “It’s a bit like exposure to the sun. We must not take it too often and the more intense it is, the more we must limit the duration of the exposure, ”explains Julie Baril, audiologist and doctoral candidate in public health at the University of Montreal.

The decibel scale is logarithmic (see table). This means that an increase of 10 decibels multiplies by 10 the sound power. According to the WHO, the recommended loudness level not to be exceeded is 85 decibels (dB) less when listening for up to 8 hours a day. At 100 dB, damage can occur to the only after 15 minutes. This damage was assessed based on exposure to noise in an open area.

“With headphones, the noise is right next to the eardrum, so you have to be even more vigilant to avoid damage,” points out Ms. Baril. “Unfortunately, young people are not always aware of the dangers. In a project I was involved in in 2008, almost 50% of 14-17 year olds surveyed listened to music at 100 dB for long periods of time every day. Some listened to music at 110 dB: that's the equivalent of a jackhammer or a huge sunburn every day, to use my analogy. »

Exposure to high sound levels first causes auditory fatigue which can give the impression of having your ears blocked. “The hair cells located in the ears lie down when they are exposed to too much noise,” explains audiologist Justine Ratelle. “If they haven’t been exposed too long or too often, they recover and hearing improves. If it's too recurrent, there will eventually be permanent damage to the hair cells and surrounding structures that will lead to irreversible hearing loss.

The study Julie Baril is talking about had also shown that about 50% of young people showed signs of hearing loss such as tinnitus (hissing, buzzing, shrill sound in the ears) which can become permanent and accompanied of hearing loss. In the long term, these sequelae will add to the loss of hearing due to aging, which leads many specialists to believe that these dangerous listening habits lead to the formation of a future generation of deaf people.

Betting on prevention

Because hearing loss is permanent, prevention is the best strategy. “A hearing aid is not like glasses, it never restores perfect hearing. When I see young people in my office, I explain to them: if you like music, be careful. Otherwise, at 25 you will have the hearing of an old person and you will have to make your friends repeat when they talk to you. It makes them think! says Julie Baril.

For her part, Justine Ratelle recommends that parents and young people set the sound level of their audio device to 60% of the maximum. “The WHO 60/60 rule should be followed: 60% of the maximum volume, for a maximum of 60 minutes at a time. Then we take a break,” she explains. The WHO also recommends limiting the use of personal audio devices to less than one hour per day.

As a general rule, a child wearing earphones or headphones should hear us if we speak to them from a distance of one meter, and what they are listening to should not be heard from more than one meter away from him.

Using good headphones allows music to be heard clearly at lower volume levels. Noise-cancelling headphones and earphones reduce background noise, so users can hear sounds clearly without having to turn up the volume.

Verdict

Many children and teenagers use their headphones at high volume levels, which puts their hearing at risk. Lowering the volume and limiting the exposure time are effective measures to reduce these risks.