As more and more teenagers plug into MP3 players like the iPod, doctors in the US and Hong Kong are reporting more young patients with hearing loss problems. The same fears were raised when Walkmans were introduced in the '80s.
But now, doctors say the problem will only get worse, because the latest music devices have longer-lasting batteries, reported the South China Morning Post.
This is because hearing damage is directly related to the duration of exposure - not just volume.
So one fear is that steady, long-term exposure to even moderately loud music could result in premature hearing loss.
Said Dr Robert Fifer, director of audiology and speech pathology at the University of Miami's Mailman Centre for Child Development: 'Once these things became portable and full-time usable, we really started noticing more noise-induced hearing-loss problems in younger children.'
In Hong Kong
The same thing is being reported by doctors in Hong Kong.
Said Dr Michael Tong Chi-fai, chief of otorhinolaryngology at Chinese University: 'It used to be rare for people in their 20s or 30s to show noise-induced hearing loss, but these cases are quite common now.'
Hearing specialists expect the situation to get worse because accumulated noise damage can take years before it causes noticeable problems.
More than half of American high school students have at least one symptom of hearing loss, says another study by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Across the Pacific, between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of secondary school students in Hong Kong suffer from mild hearing problems, says a 2007 survey.
At peak volume, MP3 players can hit close to 120 decibels - a noise level between that of a jackhammer and a jet engine.
Hearing experts say 85 decibels - the sound of city traffic - is safe.
They believe the problem is that too many young people are cranking up the volume when they use these players in crowded places or on noisy streets.
This story was first published in The New Paper on 5 January 2009.
