The frequent use of portable MP3 players may cause long-term hearing damage.

Users of portable MP3 players enjoy better sound quality than they did previously with Walkmans, but according to research scientists, especially young people are at risk of serious hearing damage.

The researchers, led by Professor Xavi Moutsnik School of Medicine Tel Aviv University, who published the study in the journal International Journal of Audiology, estimate that one in four teenagers are at risk of premature hearing loss due to the continued use of portable digital devices at high volume.

The scientists studied the auditory habits of young people making the relevant acoustical measurements, and concluded that this new fashion trend has clearly harmful consequences. “In ten or twenty years it will be too late when you realize that a whole generation of young people suffer from hearing problems much earlier than expected due to normal aging”, said Dr. Moutsnik.

According to experts, hearing loss, caused by continuous exposure to loud noise or music is a slow and gradual process. People are not usually able to understand the damage they cause to themselves unless many years go by.

Those teenagers that make extended use of the MP3 today may find that they have trouble hearing as soon as 30 or 40, ie much earlier than previous generations.

The researchers focused their investigation on some 300 young people aged 13 to 17 years old. As shown by the survey, eight out of ten teenagers regularly use portable digital devices for listening to music, one in five hears one to four hours a day and almost one in ten over four consecutive hours. Overall, scientists estimate that about one in four young people (25%) faces a serious risk of premature hearing loss.

European regulations limit the maximum output of MP3 devices to 100 decibels, but some models go as loud as 129. Scientists recommend that public authorities, teachers, parents and of course young people themselves to take the issue of potential hearing damage more seriously . Among other things, larger headphones that do not enter into the cavity of the ear, but cover the ear on the outside, are considered safer. Also, listening to music less frequently at a lower volume are important precautionary measures.