Walking through a crowded hallway surrounded by overstuffed backpacks, working out in a smelly gym, or riding a bus on a foggy and cold morning all require a distraction.

For many people today, their distraction is music – usually listened to through headphones.
Our society, from teens to young adults to children, are exposed to portable music players and portable video players and rely on these devices each and every day. The device that young people bring everywhere with them is usually a phone, and – along with this ever-present device, one finds a tangled mess of headphones we use to listen to music or watch videos. In a way, these headphones block out reality in addition to distractions. Ask any teen about why they are “plugged in” so much, and many will express that listening to music in particular keeps them focused and motivated.

One student who admits that she “can’t go anywhere without my headphones” is senior Nuiyyah Abubakar. As for the effect that being plugged in all the time has on her, Abubakar says that it helps her concentrate, and her love for music, along with singing, makes it a part of her daily routine.
Another senior, Abby Amimasahun, says that she feels terrible when she forgets her headphones. Recalling how she felt one day recently when she realized she had forgotten her headphones, Amimasahun recalls thinking, “Ugh! I’m so angry I left my headphones at home!” For Amimasahun, headphones allow her to stay in her own world and not hear anyone else’s voice.

For these two seniors, their phone offers a way to separate themselves from others and, when necessary, to better their mood or help them be productive. The music that blares through their headphones provides a sense of motivation. However, with so many teens thinking the same as Amimasahun and Abubakar, one must wonder if all of this plugged in time is causing more harm than good.
According to the American Osteopathic Association’s “Hearing Loss and Headphones – Is Anyone Listening?” article, headphones are doing more than just providing distraction. The article states, “Today, 1 in 5 teens has some form of hearing loss….”

The obsession to music in your ears, almost anytime you wish adds to one’s individual enjoyment of a song, as you are able to hear every beat and rhyme so closely. The problem is, people enjoy the song a bit too much and don’t pay attention to the increased volume and blast it. On the same American Osteopathic Association site, Dr. Foy, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, says, “Listening through headphones at a high volume for extended periods of time can result in lifelong hearing loss for children and teens.”

The small speakers inserted directly into our ears make our threshold for the music’s volume increase over time as we listen to music, just like a hot shower, which does not change temperature but feels colder over time. Although our threshold becomes higher, that doesn’t mean we can hear more increasing the volume. Truth is, the headphones that young people adore are causing long-term hearing loss.

Dr. Foy tells his patients that music with headphones for a maximum of 60 minutes a day at a 60% maximum volume is a combination that listeners should follow to avoid permanent hearing loss.
Regarding the possible permanent damage she could experience, Abubakar says, “Sometimes I do things anyways, even when there’s a consequence. I don’t want to sit here and say that I don’t believe in the science behind discoveries of hearing loss and its increasing possibilities as technology advances, adding styles and versions, but I value music too much to cut back on how loud my volume is and how long I listen to music. I just stay crankin’ all the time!”

Amimasahun says, “I honestly really like to listen to my music loud.”
The joy music brings seems to be a main reason that in-ear headphones are hard to set down. However, there are options for those who want to stay connected so much but not do permanent damage to their hearing. Dr. Foy enlightens his patients about a better option for listening to music consistently. He suggests, “Using older style, larger headphones that rest over the ear opening instead of earphones that are placed directly in your ear.” Of course, diminishing the use of listening devices altogether will help save the overall state of someone’s hearing. Pretty tough for a generation that grew up with portable technology and headphones. Whether our generation begins to listen more as they get older and heed the warnings of experts, only time will tell. Let’s hope they hear one another.