While aging is one of the top causes for hearing loss, it’s not the only one. Hearing loss challenges can affect any of us at any age—including our children.
The World Health Organization suggests that global hearing loss numbers will likely double by 2050, and many of those numbers will be children. The question is, why is children’s hearing at risk?
How Loud Is Too Loud?
When we think of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), many of us think of a loud blast of sound that physically damages the eardrum in one go, like hearing an explosive event or a gunshot. That’s just one way that NIHL can occur—for most people, it’s the cumulative effects of excessive noise exposure over a long period.
Think of all the concerts you went to back in the day that left you with ringing ears after the encore, or nightclubs that left you feeling like your ears were stuffed up with wool. Modern-day noise exposure is dangerous for our hearing, even if we don’t realize it at first.
We measure sound in decibels (dB), and the scale ranges from leaves rustling at 30 dB to a rock concert at 120 dB. Anything above 85 dB—a noisy restaurant, for example—can be harmful to your hearing.
The Silent Epidemic
More and more children are sitting glued to their phones or tablets these days than ever. We don’t mean to sound like the grumpy older generation here—we’re stating a fact! How many toddlers have you seen out and about staring at their parents’ cell phones?
These tech-savvy kids are often doing more harm than good to their hearing with their devices. Apple Airpods Max, the best-selling earphones on the market, can reach a maximum volume of 100 dB—just 20 minutes of continuous noise at that level is enough to cause damage.
Of course, no kid is going to listen when you ask them to turn down the volume. We know what kids are like. Educate your children on the dangers of noise exposure and encourage them to bring earplugs to live events so that their hearing won’t be hurt in the long run.
Hearing Care With Acadian Hearing
Looking after children is a full-time job! It makes sense that when we feel our child’s health may be in trouble, we panic. There’s nothing more important and more fragile than the health of our kids.
If you’re concerned about the hearing health of your children, it’s natural to catastrophize and think the worst—but there may be other reasons outside of hearing loss why your child isn’t paying attention or hearing you on the first call of their name.
We’re happy to work with you to test your child’s hearing and see what’s going on. Simply paying us a visit will help alleviate a lot of worries about your child’s hearing health, and we’re more than happy to accommodate to help your child feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible, no matter their age range.
For more information about hearing assessments for children, or to chat with a member of our team about your unique situation, please feel free to request a callback or call us at (337) 436-3277.
