If your teenager has their iPod headphones glued to their ears most hours of the day, you may want to tell them to give it a rest. In a new study by The Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed data on about 1,771 youngsters ages 12 to 19 had a 30 percent increase in hearing loss, from previous studies. To put that into perspective, one in five teenagers suffer from at least slight hearing loss. A decade ago the rate was only one in seven. For most the hearing loss is slight enough that it could not even be noticed. However, the number of teens with the mild hearing loss has increased from 1 in 30 a decade ago, to 1 and 20 now. Those with mild hearing loss may not be able to hearing someone whispering in their ear.
What’s even more interesting, is that researchers still can’t explain why the increase is occurring, and couldn’t find a significant correlation to exposure to loud noise. This could be because the teenagers surveyed don’t feel their level of music is “loud” while actually, their listening at dangerously high-levels.
