Earbuds: Bad For Your Health

Sofia Lebensohn, 09/01/2017

It is scientifically proven that if not used correctly, earbuds can damage your ears. Many people have had significant problems that can not be reversed because of earbuds.

In recent years 1 in 5 American teens are affected with hearing loss due to earbuds. That is about 30% more people than in the 1990’s. This is really becoming a huge risk for everyone.That asks the question, “Am I using them correctly?” The answer is simply the volume and the amount of time used.

Earbuds can damage your hearing the same way chainsaws, motorcycles, gunshots, and fireworks can. The difference is that with earbuds it takes longer for someone to experience damage, whereas exposure to chainsaws and gunshots can give damage within less time. To give a comparison, chainsaws and gunshots let out about 100 decibels of sound. The earbud if used at high volumes it lets out about 85 decibels of sound. Which if used for to long can have great effects. The big problem with that is that most people don't know they have noise-induced hearing loss, (NIHL) until it is too late. Once the damage is done, there is no way of reversing it. So the way you can prevent damage is by using earbuds correctly and safely.

What volume is good? Well, more than 60% of the volume can be harmful. At those volumes, the decibels are high. What does volume have to do with the damage? The ear is made up of three parts, inner, middle, and outer. The inner ear, or better known as the cochlea is surrounded by hair cells which send sound to your brain. Loud music so close to the cochlea can damage those cells making it harder for them to send sound to your brain.

Even if you use earbuds at low volumes if you listen for too long it has the same effect. You should definitely use earbuds for less than 60 min a day. Even still that might be too long depending on the volume. The ideal time would be about 45 min.

Long public transportation ride tomorrow? Using earbuds if perfectly fine as long as you don't over do it. They can be useful, whether you are on a public transportation or in the car and your friends and family don’t want to listen to your music. It is perfectly fine. Just try to avoid using them as much as possible. If you are in your room listening to music you should definitely listen without earbuds.

What is the solution? Think of it this way, the 60/60 rule. Less than 60 minutes a day and at less than 60% of the volume, and you should be ok. You can also reduce the amount of damage by getting better earbuds. Earbuds or headphones that block background noise is so much better for you. This makes it so you do not have to use earbuds or headphones at higher volumes since you don't have all the background noise. Headphones have the same effect as earbuds but they are a little better. Another thing you can do is avoid using earbuds or headphones in noisy places. If you do, then it will cause you to turn up the volume so you can hear your music. Using them in really noisy places like concerts, parades, or fairs, even with better earbuds, it can hurt your ears.

Interviewing students here at LAMS, many said they only use earbuds about 10 min a day when coming to and from school and only at about 30-40% of the volume. “15 minutes a day and 3”states Cassidy when she was asked how long she listens a day and on a scale of 1-10 for the volume. Many other students use it for about that amount of time either more time or less. Kate stated “Only 5 minutes a week and 3 to 4.” Using earbuds is fun, convenient, and reliable as long as they are used correctly and safely.