Say What? MP3 Players May Hurt Your Hearing

Unless we (the industry, manufacturers, parents) address the
underlying emotional needs that are the primary drivers of loud
music listening by teens, I hardly think that sensible warnings are
going to solve this - anymore than the same warnings worked in the
60s and 70s. Even the most sensible teens and young adults may find
themselves cranking up the music to shut out other sounds (or
feelings, or life circumstances) when things get rough. At those
times, they will not be weighing their options thirty years down
the road. Of course, sometimes cranking the music is just to have
more fun. (emotional needs go to both ends of the spectrum)
Manufacturers could promote headphones that offer *better* sound at
lower volumes (earbuds are hardly the height of sound quality and I
wonder if they encourage cranking it up), and of course parents
could be more aware of the sounds in their own home that teens may
be cranking up the music to avoid - perhaps? Interesting conundrum,
and I'm not sure the fault is all with the music or the hardware.
But I don't think we solve it unless we understand the underlying
drivers of the behavior - and how important music is to many teens.

Unless we (the industry, manufacturers, parents) address the
underlying emotional needs that are the primary drivers of loud
music listening by teens, I hardly think that sensible warnings are
going to solve this - anymore than the same warnings worked in the
60s and 70s. Even the most sensible teens and young adults may find
themselves cranking up the music to shut out other sounds (or
feelings, or life circumstances) when things get rough. At those
times, they will not be weighing their options thirty years down
the road. Of course, sometimes cranking the music is just to have
more fun. (emotional needs go to both ends of the spectrum)
Manufacturers could promote headphones that offer *better* sound at
lower volumes (earbuds are hardly the height of sound quality and I
wonder if they encourage cranking it up), and of course parents
could be more aware of the sounds in their own home that teens may
be cranking up the music to avoid - perhaps? Interesting conundrum,
and I'm not sure the fault is all with the music or the hardware.
But I don't think we solve it unless we understand the underlying
drivers of the behavior - and how important music is to many teens.

Unless we (the industry, manufacturers, parents) address the underlying emotional needs that are the primary drivers of loud music listening by teens, I hardly think that sensible warnings are going to solve this - anymore than the same warnings worked in the 60s and 70s. Even the most sensible teens and young adults may find themselves cranking up the music to shut out other sounds (or feelings, or life circumstances) when things get rough. At those times, they will not be weighing their options thirty years down the road. Of course, sometimes cranking the music is just to have more fun. (emotional needs go to both ends of the spectrum) Manufacturers could promote headphones that offer *better* sound at lower volumes (earbuds are hardly the height of sound quality and I wonder if they encourage cranking it up), and of course parents could be more aware of the sounds in their own home that teens may be cranking up the music to avoid - perhaps? Interesting conundrum, and I'm not sure the fault is all with the music or the hardware. But I don't think we solve it unless we understand the underlying drivers of the behavior - and how important music is to many teens.

Preventive action can make a substantial difference in long-term
hearing health, and foneGEAR makes two products that addresses the
need to limit volume levels for younger listeners: tuneGEAR
safetyFONES and safetyBUDZ, which limit noise levels to 85 dB or
below. These are in stores now and can also be seen on foneGEAR's
web site by going to www.fonegear.com/store and typing
"safetyfones" into the search box. Because MP3 players are capable
of very high volumes, and because hearing loss can occur painlessly
(meaning the listener won't know they have damaged their hearing
until after the fact), we would encourage every accessory
manufacturer and electronics retailer to encourage the sale of
safetyFONES and comparable products for listeners who need
supervision until they are old enough to make informed choices
about their listening habits.

Preventive action can make a substantial difference in long-term
hearing health, and foneGEAR makes two products that addresses the
need to limit volume levels for younger listeners: tuneGEAR
safetyFONES and safetyBUDZ, which limit noise levels to 85 dB or
below. These are in stores now and can also be seen on foneGEAR's
web site by going to www.fonegear.com/store and typing
"safetyfones" into the search box. Because MP3 players are capable
of very high volumes, and because hearing loss can occur painlessly
(meaning the listener won't know they have damaged their hearing
until after the fact), we would encourage every accessory
manufacturer and electronics retailer to encourage the sale of
safetyFONES and comparable products for listeners who need
supervision until they are old enough to make informed choices
about their listening habits.

Preventive action can make a substantial difference in long-term hearing health, and foneGEAR makes two products that addresses the need to limit volume levels for younger listeners: tuneGEAR safetyFONES and safetyBUDZ, which limit noise levels to 85 dB or below. These are in stores now and can also be seen on foneGEAR's web site by going to www.fonegear.com/store and typing "safetyfones" into the search box. Because MP3 players are capable of very high volumes, and because hearing loss can occur painlessly (meaning the listener won't know they have damaged their hearing until after the fact), we would encourage every accessory manufacturer and electronics retailer to encourage the sale of safetyFONES and comparable products for listeners who need supervision until they are old enough to make informed choices about their listening habits.

Steve, I actually doubt manufacturers will dispute the study. That
would make them appear uncaring and socially irresponsible (like a
cigarette company, for instance). Instead I expect they will simply
issue a caution to users to listen at reasonable volumes. If I'm
not mistaken, I'm pretty sure most operating manuals for headphones
and devices that use headphones already contain that caution.

Steve, I actually doubt manufacturers will dispute the study. That
would make them appear uncaring and socially irresponsible (like a
cigarette company, for instance). Instead I expect they will simply
issue a caution to users to listen at reasonable volumes. If I'm
not mistaken, I'm pretty sure most operating manuals for headphones
and devices that use headphones already contain that caution.

Steve, I actually doubt manufacturers will dispute the study. That would make them appear uncaring and socially irresponsible (like a cigarette company, for instance). Instead I expect they will simply issue a caution to users to listen at reasonable volumes. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure most operating manuals for headphones and devices that use headphones already contain that caution.