It’s hard enough trying to get through to your child when they seem to be surgically attached to their MP3 players (such as an iPod), aside from the ‘selective deafness’ that seems to go with the territory, a more serious and permanent risk of noise-induced hearing loss can be a real concern to all parents.

Angry Anderson, former front man of rock band Rose Tattoo, Connect Hearing ambassador and father, said he was particularly concerned about young people and their use of MP3 players, especially when they have them turned up too loud.

“Look, I like loud music but that hasn’t done me a lot of good over the years,” he said.

“Kids’ hearing can’t be repaired and mums and dads need to be aware of that.”

The loudness of sound is measured in units called decibels (dB). Conversation is generally 60 dB. Traffic noise can be around 80 dB. Louder noises, such as a plane taking off, motorcycle or firecracker can range from 120 to 140 dB. Each increase of 10dB roughly doubles the perceived loudness of the sound.

The volume on MP3 players can reach a maximum of over 130dB, depending on the model of player and type of earphones used.

Indeed, an American study last year found that 16 percent of six- to 19-year-olds had early signs of hearing loss.

A similar French study found one in five adolescents suffered hearing problems from exposure to excessively loud volumes on MP3 players, and at rock concerts and clubs.

Connect Hearing confirmed its audiologists are treating a much larger number of younger clients presenting with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hearing loss related to noise exposure.

Given the popularity of MP3 players, and the tendency to listen to them for long periods of time (while travelling for instance), the risk of permanent hearing loss rises the higher the volume is cranked up.

And the experts say it doesn’t have to be ear-splitting to cause damage.

Information on the Connect Hearing website states that consistent use of MP3 players on a regular basis at levels above 75dB can cause hearing loss.

A rule of thumb is that if you can hear the music on your child’s MP3 player, they have the volume up too high. Likewise, if your children shout or raise their voices to speak to you while they are listening to their MP3 player, it is too loud. It can take only 28 seconds of listening at too high a volume to cause permanent hearing damage—and younger children are most vulnerable.

Dr Brian Morton, NSW President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) agreed that, while it’s early days, the recent studies should encourage manufacturers, parents and users to each take greater responsibility for safer listening.

“It comes down to common sense … listening to music at levels above 75 decibels is going to damage hearing. It is also cumulative, so the more you do it, the sooner the damage will occur,” he said.

“Parents should get their child’s hearing checked if they have any concerns.”

Apple Inc, manufacturer of the ubiquitous MP3 player, iPod, has modified its products since these studies were publicised.

If your child has an iPod Nano or fifth-generation iPod, you should update to iPod Software 1.1.2 or iPod Nano Software 1.2 through iTunes 8. The update lets you easily change the volume limit of the iPod. As well as inbuilt volume controls on the latest model iPods, iPod Nano and iTunes, you can now download a patch from Apple for older iPods that allows you to set the maximum volume so that it never goes above 100dB.

You can load this onto your child’s iPods and lock it with a code so it can’t be altered. This site also contains information on the importance of responsible listening and setting music to the appropriate volume: www.apple.com/sound/.

• Vague feelings of pressure or fullness in the ears 
• Sounds becoming distorted or muffled 
• Difficulty understanding speech 
• Experiencing a ringing sound in the ears (tinnitus) when in a quiet place

• Lock the volume to a safe listening level (around 75dB) 
• If you can hear the music from your child’s headphones, it is up too loud 
• Buy over-ear headphones, which are less damaging than in-ear headphones or earbuds 
• Limit the amount of time your child listens to their MP3 and advise them to give their ears a rest every hour 
• For Apple products, download free software to set volume to safe levels www.apple.com

MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer III, and it is a standard for audio compression that makes any music file smaller with little or no loss of sound quality—hence lots of music can be stored on one tiny MP3 player.

• Connect Hearing: www.connecthearing.com.au
• Apple Inc: www.apple.com