Headphones and Hearing Health: What Teachers and Parents Need to Know

Key Takeaways

Classrooms today are filled with students plugged into headphones. Headphones provide valuable benefits for learning by blocking distractions and letting students focus on educational content and instruction. However, some experts warn that prolonged headphone use poses risks of noise-induced hearing loss, especially among children. As guides in students’ lives, teachers and parents need to understand how hearing can be impacted and how to promote safe listening habits.

A Closer Look at How Headphones Work

To appreciate how headphones could potentially cause hearing damage, it’s important to first understand what types are used and how they work to produce sound. There are three main headphone styles:

Earbuds

These small headphone inserts fit right inside the ear canal. Many come with silicone or foam tips in different sizes for a tighter, more secure fit. Students often favor these for their portability and lightweight feel.

On-Ear Headphones

These feature padded earcups that rest comfortably over the ears without fully enclosing them. The speakers inside direct sound right into the ear. Many on-ear models fold inward for easier storage in backpacks and lockers.

Over-Ear Headphones

Larger, plusher earcups fully surround the ears. This helps immerse listeners in sound and block out external noises. Noise-cancelling over-ear models actively cancel ambient noise using built-in microphones. These are popular for uninterrupted listening.

All headphone styles work through a common process. The headphone jack or internal wireless receiver converts electrical audio signals from the device into sound waves. Mini speakers inside the left and right earcups produce these sound waves that cause air particles to vibrate.

The Risks of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

With prolonged exposure, the loud volumes headphones directly delivered to the inner ear can potentially wreak havoc on this intricate hearing process.

Decibels (dB) measure the intensity of sound pressure levels. Sounds under 75 dB are generally considered safe for lengthy exposure. But experts warn that recurrent exposure to noises exceeding 85 dB can permanently damage hair cells in the cochlea.

Unlike many body cells, these specialized hair cells do not regenerate. So the hearing loss stemming from noise-induced cochlear damage is permanent. This condition is called noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

NIHL typically manifests first as reduced hearing sensitivity at higher frequency ranges. This makes it difficult to distinguish words clearly against background noise. Additional exposure to loud sounds expands the hearing loss to lower frequencies.

Besides headphones, common NIHL causes include rock concerts, machinery and tools, emergency vehicle sirens, and other continuous loud noises. But with headphones pressed snugly in or over the ears, users may unknowingly expose their cochleas to dangerous decibel levels for far longer than is safe.

Developing Safe Headphone Habits

The risks of NIHL make it critical for teachers and parents to help students cultivate responsible headphone habits:

• Establish Volume Limits: Choose headphones with built-in volume governors that cap maximum levels. Also set volume limits on the connected devices. This helps prevent levels from climbing too high even if users turn their headphone volume up all the way.
• Enforce Listening Breaks: Require students to take short listening breaks every 60 minutes, even if they don’t think they need it. This gives the ears and brain time to recover and lowers cumulative noise exposure.
• Check Fit: Make sure earbuds or headphones fit each student’s head or ears correctly without being inserted too deeply into ear canals. Proper fit ensures good sound at safer volumes.
• Limit Sound Leakage: Closed-back, over-ear headphone designs limit sound leakage. Open-back or earbud models that leak sound prompt users to turn volumes hazardously high to hear over external noise.
• Use Noise Cancellation Cautiously: Noise-cancelling technology blocks ambient noise so users hear more interior headphone sound. This could potentially prompt volumes unsafe for extended periods. Use this feature judiciously.
• Model Safe Listening: Demonstrate your own safe practices by using moderate headphone volumes and taking regular listening breaks. Children learn by example.
• Supervise Use: Periodically check in on students using headphones during study or activity time. Ensure they maintain reasonable volume levels and don’t use headphones for more than an hour consecutively.

By instilling safe listening habits, teachers and parents can help minimize the risks of NIHL in students who use headphones for learning.

Warning Signs of Hearing Damage to Watch For

It’s also essential to watch and listen for any of the following warning signs that may indicate headphone-related hearing damage:

• Difficulty hearing soft voices, music notes, and other gentle sounds
• Speech sounding muffled or slurred
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) after using headphones
• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
• Pain or discomfort in the ears after headphone use

Since noise-induced hearing loss from headphones develops gradually over time, it is easy to dismiss subtle symptoms like a little muffling or tinnitus now and then. But promptly addressing any hearing changes improves the prognosis and allows early intervention.

Taking Action if Hearing Loss is Suspected

If you suspect hearing damage or loss in a student:

• Stop Headphone Use: Halt further headphone use until their hearing can be evaluated by professionals. The first priority is preventing additional noise exposure that could worsen damage.
• Visit the Doctor: Make an appointment with their doctor, who can then refer you to a pediatric audiologist for specialized hearing tests. These tests can pinpoint the type and extent of hearing loss.
• Discuss Hearing Aids: For mild to moderate hearing impairment, hearing aids and other assistive amplification devices may help restore enough function for the classroom. The audiologist can advise the best options.
• Look Into Accommodations: Depending on the severity of hearing loss, discuss accommodations like preferential classroom seating, captions, sign language interpreters, assistive listening systems, and speechreading training.
• Check Other Causes: Review medications and check for ear infections, which can sometimes cause temporary conductive hearing loss. This helps determine whether the loss is noise-induced or from other factors.
• Consider Speech Therapy: If the auditory processing part of the brain is impacted, speech therapy or lip reading lessons can help strengthen language comprehension skills.

Conclusion

While headphones are an extremely useful tool in education, we must help students harness their power responsibly. By internalizing safe listening habits and acting quickly if hearing loss occurs, we can work together to protect students’ lifelong hearing health.