Poll: How parents feel about noise exposure from their child’s headphones

Kids’ ears are super sensitive, and too much noise can mess with a bunch of stuff like sleeping, learning, talking, and even feeling calm.

That’s what a bunch of smart folks at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found out when they asked a bunch of parents about their kids and their ear gadgets.

Parents sometimes can’t tell if their kid is blasting music too loud or not, especially when they’re using headphones or earbuds.

So, these smart people asked about 2,044 parents with at least one kid between the ages of 0 to 18 in their home. From those, they got answers from 1,152 parents who had kids between 5 to 12 years old.

They found out that nearly 80% of parents with kids aged 9 to 12 said their kids use headphones or earbuds, while it’s about 53% for kids aged 5 to 8. Overall, about 64% of all parents said their kids use these gadgets.

Where do they use them? Well, mostly at home, but also at school, in the car, on a plane, and even outside. Some kids even wear them to bed!

Almost half of the parents said that using headphones keeps their kids busy. And guess what? A good chunk of kids use these gadgets for at least 2 hours every day.

But here’s the thing: not all parents are strict about how long their kids can use these gadgets. Nearly 60% try to limit their kid’s time with headphones, but a big chunk doesn’t have a solid plan.

And get this, the parents who don’t set any limits are more likely to have kids who use these gadgets too much. And about a quarter of parents worry about their kids damaging their hearing because of all the headphone time.

The folks at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital say that headphones are getting super popular with kids, even though before they thought it was more of a teen and adult thing.

They also say that if kids are cranking up the volume because it’s noisy around them, that could really mess up their hearing. Loud sounds can mess up ears fast, like sounds over 120 decibels. But even lower sounds, like ones from a lawnmower, can cause damage if you hear them for a long time.

They’ve got a simple trick for parents, though: if you can’t talk to your kid from a little ways away because the music’s too loud, then it’s definitely too loud for their ears.

If parents are worried their kids might be hurting their ears with all the gadget time, it’s probably a good idea to check in with the doctor. And doctors can help explain to kids why it’s important not to go crazy with the headphones.