Teenage hearing loss is on the rise, and the digital revolution’s introduction of the iPod, coupled with new style ear buds are being blamed for the frightening trend.
Between the years of 1988 to 1994, the percentage of teenage hearing problems was around 15%.
This has risen to 19.5% in the years of 2005 to 2006. The age bracket in which this is occurring is 12 to 19 year olds.
Many teenagers listen to their iPods of much of the day, with the music blaring straight into their ears.
When asked about their exposure to loud music, the teenagers responses were similar to the ones from the last study, which shows that iPods aren’t solely to blame. Poverty, diet and nutrition, as well as some of the toxins children are exposed to may be causing the problems as well as the iPod craze.
There’s many problems that can be blamed or found at fault, so health authorities are not ready to place the blame directly on iPods or other digital media players, however they do say that iPods aren’t helping any.
Hearing loss is a big problem, as it can cause anxiety, stress and lower marks on communication tests.