Although hearing loss can occur for many reasons ranging from exposure to chemicals to a traumatic head injury, two causes make up the vast number of cases. The first is age-related hearing loss, otherwise known as presbycusis. This cause of hearing loss amounts to the lifelong wear-and-tear on the sensitive features of the inner ear. Most people do not experience presbycusis until their senior years. The other type of hearing loss is related to noise exposure. Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by a combination of the volume of sound and the duration of exposure.
A shocking statistic is circulating in public health and audiological circles. About 10% of Millennials and 17% of Generation Z have some level of hearing loss, and these percentages are higher than the rates of prior generations when they were of young ages. Furthermore, given what we know about age-related hearing loss, why would the younger generation of Gen Z have higher rates of hearing loss than the older generation of Millennials? These questions have led experts to expect that something has changed in youth exposure to noise.
Technology is making it possible for young people and children to be exposed to higher volumes of sound, but it is also possible to be exposed to the relatively quieter sound for very long durations. Let’s take a closer look at the way that technology might be causing a crisis of hearing loss among younger generations.
Technology and Noise Exposure
One way that technology is increasing noise exposure has to do with public sound amplification in space. If you attend a concert, sporting event, or another public gathering, the latest amplification technology makes it possible to blast louder sound than ever. These technologies are becoming less expensive at the same time, meaning that they are more common. Lining many city streets around the world, Bluetooth speakers can produce damaging sound for anyone walking down the street, and cars are now equipped with high-volume sound equipment, as well. In addition to these technologies, personal amplification equipment such as headphones and earbuds might be posing an even greater threat to young people. Whereas they used to be used for listening to music on an at-home or portable device, the time of use was not as long as it has now become.
With media streaming over the Internet instead of on cassettes or CDs, it is now possible to listen to a steady stream of music, videos, television, movies, audiobooks, podcasts, and gaming music for hours on end. Young people are particularly prone to long stints of listening, and they might not have the same self-censoring mechanisms to let them know when to stop listening. With loud sound blasting from earbuds directly into the ear canal, adults might not realize just how loud that sound is for their children. It’s easy to let time pass by with a child wearing headphones when the rest of the room is relatively quiet.
Protecting Youth Hearing
With these new technological developments in mind, it’s important to set clear boundaries for childhood noise exposure. You can even set child protections on devices such as smartphones so that the volume cannot exceed 75 percent of the maximum possible on the device, a good rule of thumb. You can set time limits on media use, as well, either through automatically programmed parental controls or by setting limits for your child person-to-person. Protecting teenagers and young adults requires ample communication.
Though many people of these ages feel invincible, it is important to have conversations about the life-long damaging effects of noise exposure on hearing ability. When you have these conversations, be sure to emphasize that very loud sound is not the only risk. An 8-hour period of uninterrupted listening at a moderate volume can be just as damaging as a single very loud incident of noise exposure, though the latter might register as more uncomfortable.
Wearing hearing protection is another component of preventing hearing loss among young people, so be sure to remain aware of the very loud concerts or nightclubs your children might attend. With these guidelines in place, you can help your child prevent hearing loss before it occurs.
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