As we wrote about in our last blog post, noise-induced hearing loss is on the rise among children and teens. School is just around the corner, and you want to make sure that hearing protection still continues into the classroom. Here are some things you can do to encourage your child to be proactive about hearing health.
Sounds in the School Environment
Do classrooms really get loud enough to damage hearing? Consider:
- School bells
- Buses
- Band, orchestra and choir
- Sports events (yelling teammates and coaches; cheering parents)
- Shop classes, e.g., metal shop, wood shop
- Children screaming on the playground
- Poor acoustics in classrooms amplify loud noise
Some of these are loud enough on their own to cause damage, but the real danger is the buildup of noise. Put all these elements together, and it can be a real cacophony.
Then consider headphone usage. Headphones are commonly used in school, either to listen to music during a quiet study hall or to screen learn. Many headphones and music players can reach 110 decibels, and your kids might be listening to them for an hour or more at a time.
Protecting Kids’ Ears
Teach your child about safe headphone use. We use the 60/60 rule: listen at 60% of the max volume for no more than 60 minutes. Putting a cap on the maximum volume and the amount of time spent decreases your child’s chances of damaging their ears. You might consider upgrading to noise-canceling headphones; with noise-canceling headphones, your child will be less likely to turn the volume up to drown out background noise.
Finally, some environments have built-in breaks and safeguards that can help with hearing risk. Places like band or orchestra might bring your child into contact with loud (or fortissimo) music, but the band director will routinely stop the band to workshop a small part or work with a small section of the band. These breaks will offer your child’s ears reprieve, rather than being prolonged, uninterrupted exposure to loud noise.
See a Hearing Professional
If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s hearing, such as them not hearing you when you speak or missing alarms, or if they begin to complain that things “sound funny,” it might be time to bring in a hearing professional. Contact us to schedule a hearing test for your child.