Scientists warn that wireless earbuds can cause deafness due to the harmful amount of sound they transmit directly into the ear canal.
Over-ear hearing aids are said to be safer because they block out background noise better. This means that users are less likely to turn up the volume on music or podcasts.
According to EU law and World Health Organization guidelines, the safe sound level for headphones is 100 decibels (dB). This is equivalent to the sound of an ambulance siren reaching your eardrum.
However, Dr Sam Couth, a lecturer in audiology at the University of Manchester, warned that some earplugs on the market reach noise levels of 120dB, roughly equivalent to a chainsaw or a jet plane taking off.
Experts warn that in-ear headphones can damage the delicate cells in the ear, increasing the risk of long-term hearing loss.
Kim Kardashian was photographed in LA in 2021 wearing purple earbuds, which were rumoured to be the £199 wireless Beats Fit Pro.
“It’s not just the amount of exposure that’s important, it’s also the duration of exposure,” he said The Telegraph.
‘For an 85 dB environment, the maximum safe exposure time is eight hours.
‘For every 3dB increase, the exposure time is halved: four hours for 88dB, two hours for 91dB, and so on.
‘At 120 dBA, the maximum safe exposure time is approximately 30 seconds.’
Dr Harvey Dillon, professor of hearing science at the University of Manchester, added: ‘If over-ear headphones completely enclose the ear, they are likely to block out background noise. This means people are unlikely to turn up the volume of their music, making them safer.’
Last year, a team of international scientists warned in the journal BMJ Global Health that 1 billion 12- to 34-year-olds worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to headphone use and extremely loud music venues.
They explained that the damage occurs when loud noise affects the thousands of tiny hairs in the inner ear that convert vibrations into sound.
Overstimulation of these fragile hairs can cause them to break off and not regenerate, resulting in hearing loss.
According to experts, noise-canceling features on many devices, including noise-canceling headphones, can help reduce overall noise levels and prevent hearing damage.
But it is not a miracle cure.
According to Dr. Couth, noise cancellation can be “a good thing” because “the music you’re listening to isn’t competing as much with background noise, so you don’t have to turn up the volume as much.”
But not all devices have decent noise cancellation, he says. “It’s still possible to reach potentially damaging sound levels with noise cancellation turned on.”
Over-ear headphones block out more background noise than earbuds, allowing you to turn up the volume on your device less.
Professor Michael Stone, a senior researcher at the University of Manchester, adds that the ‘squeal’ of metro trains is unlikely to be ‘dampened’ by noise cancellation because it is ‘so high-pitched’.
According to him, over-ear headphones can be an effective solution.
A survey conducted earlier this year found that 40 percent of 18- to 44-year-olds who received loud noise notifications on their phones said they ignored the warning.
About half of those surveyed in the survey by vision and hearing specialist Specsavers said they had received such a warning.
Gordon Harrison, chief audiologist at Specsavers, advises the ’60/60 rule’ when using earphones or other types of headphones.
“The rule of thumb is to use headphones for a maximum of 60 minutes per day, at a maximum volume of 60 percent,” he said.