By Nelly Sander, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Shutterstock

Music services, gaming and social media fill the ears of many young people every day. And behind these ingrained habits hides a problem: Sounds must be enjoyed with some care. Otherwise, sounds can end up being pure poison for hearing. 

Also read: 15 important tips to avoid hearing damage

A blanket of sound fills everyday life

"The problem is not just high volume, but the sum of sound in everyday life," explains AAU professor in acoustics and hearing Dorte Hammershøi. 

Hearing is robust to a certain amount of intense sound. According to the scientist, it is therefore a myth that we can just warn young people against listening at the highest levels, and then otherwise ignore the differences associated with their individual listening habits. 

"It's like assuming that we all drive at 220 km/h in our cars because they can go that fast. We don't. We also don't listen at maximum level all the time, and the variety of the music also means that there is not maximum level output all the time. Some listen frequently, others sporadically, and whether they play it at high or low levels is not related to whether they listen often or rarely," explains Dorte Hammershøi.

She warns that digital sound culture leaves an entire generation at risk of permanent damage, which not only threatens hearing itself, but also has negative consequences for young people's well-being, among other things because hearing loss can be a major challenge for people's social lives.

The problem calls for further investigation

The Danish Association of the Hard of Hearing highlights a study from the National Health Profile that shows that the prevalence of tinnitus among young people has doubled from 2013 to 2023. There can be many reasons why you get tinnitus, and ironically, only a few cases of hearing damage are accompanied by tinnitus. Nevertheless, Dorte Hammershøi is sounding the alarm:

When the number of young people with tinnitus has doubled over 10 years, we need to take an interest in why this is happening, and the most likely reason is unsafe listening habits. Even a few hours of work in a gym, as a bartender or in a regular industrial workplace in combination with even very low headphone listening is very significant," she explains.

Dorte Hammershøi is part of a Prevention Council set up by the Danish Association of the Hard of Hearing. Among other things, they will work on a campaign about unsafe listening habits that the Minister of Health allocated with DKK 2.5 million to.

Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs

 

Contact

• Dorte Hammershøi, Professor and Head of Acoustics and Hearing, Section for AI and Sound, Department of Electronic Systems, AAU, Tel.: +45 99 40 87 05, Email:  dh@es.aau.dk
• Nelly Sander, Projekt Manager AAU Communikation and Public Affairs, Tel.: + 45 99 40 20 18, Email: nsa@adm.aau.dk