“We focused on unsafe listening from use of personal listening devices such as smartphones and loud entertainment venues such as bars, concerts, and nightclubs, both of which are highly common in young people,” says the lead study author, Lauren Dillard, PhD, a doctor of audiology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. For the new analysis, scientists examined data on average noise exposure among more than 19,000 people ages 12 to 34 who participated in 33 previously conducted studies. Overall, roughly one in four people set the volume on their headphones at dangerously high levels, and nearly half of them attended concerts with unsafe noise levels, according to study results published November 15 in BMJ Global Health. While the exact threshold at which people say noise is too loud varies around the world, many guidelines suggest that people should strive for average exposure to 85 decibels or less throughout a typical eight-hour workday, the study team writes. At much higher noise levels, people may need to limit their exposure time to an hour or even less to minimize the risk of hearing loss. By any definition, young people in the study were exposed to far too much noise. With headphones, average noise levels reached 105 decibels, and at entertainment venues the average noise levels reached 104 to 112 decibels. One limitation of the analysis is that the smaller studies examined a wide range of noise exposures and used many different techniques to assess the volume. These studies also didn’t directly measure hearing loss, only whether people appeared to be exposed to noise levels associated with this problem. Even so, exposure to loud music is one of the most common types of sound exposure for teens and young adults, and this can potentially occur on personal audio systems or at concerts, clubs, or other amplified music events, says Colleen Le Prell, PhD, the chair of the department of speech, language, and hearing at the University of Texas in Dallas. Many other pursuits expose young people to noise levels that may damage their hearing, including hunting and target shooting; use of power tools and lawn mowers; and motorcycles, Jet Skis, and all-terrain vehicles, says Dr. Le Prell, who wasn’t involved in the study. “To protect against auditory injury, the volume should be decreased if it’s under the listener’s control, the listening time should be decreased, or hearing protection products appropriate for the exposure should be selected,” Le Prell advises. “High-fidelity earplugs are an example of a hearing protection product that is optimized for safe music listening.” Hearing loss occurs naturally over time, and affects roughly half of adults 65 and older. But younger people can minimize damage earlier in life and also reduce the extent of hearing loss by limiting their exposure to loud noise. Some previous research suggests that earplugs can go a long way toward preventing hearing loss from one of the sources examined in the new study — loud concerts and live performances. A study published in June 2018 in JAMA Otolaryngoly–Head and Neck Surgery of concertgoers at a music festival in Amsterdam, for example, randomly provided earplugs to some attendees and found people who wore ear protection had significantly less incidence of hearing loss in tests done after the show ended. While earplugs help, people can also reduce their risk by seeking out seats farther from the speakers, which may mean those cheap seats nowhere near the stage, says Jennifer Derebery, MD, the codirector of research at the House Institute Foundation in Los Angeles and past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. At nightclubs and other loud places, people can seek out quiet areas to take a break from the noise, says Dr. Derebery, who wasn’t involved in the study.
