Safe Listening Practices for the Digital Age

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have teamed up to launch a new international standard aimed at preventing hearing loss among 1.1 billion young people. Unveiled on February 12, the “Toolkit for Safe Listening Devices and Systems” is now available online. This toolkit is designed to help partners easily adopt, implement, and monitor the standard, ensuring that all users of personal audio devices have access to information on safe listening and the tools to make informed choices to protect their hearing.

According to the partners, half of all people aged 12-35 – that’s 1.1 billion young individuals – are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, often from personal audio devices like smartphones and music players. In preparation for World Hearing Day on March 3, WHO and ITU released this new standard to make listening safer.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, emphasized the importance of this initiative: “Given that we have the technological know-how to prevent hearing loss, it should not be the case that so many young people continue to damage their hearing while listening to music. They must understand that once they lose their hearing, it won’t come back. This new WHO-ITU standard will do much to better safeguard these young consumers as they go about doing something they enjoy.”

Currently, over 466 million people worldwide, or more than 5% of the global population, suffer from disabling hearing loss. This includes 432 million adults and 34 million children, with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries. WHO estimates that by 2050, this number will exceed 900 million people.

The new standard recommends several features for personal audio devices, including:

• Sound Allowance Function: Software that tracks the level and duration of a user’s exposure to sound, showing it as a percentage of a reference exposure.
• Personalized Profile: An individualized listening profile that provides feedback on how safely the user is listening and offers suggestions for safer practices.
• Volume Limiting Options: Features that limit volume, including automatic reductions and parental controls.
• User Guidance: General information and advice on safe listening habits, both for personal audio devices and other noisy leisure activities.

Developed under WHO’s “Make Listening Safe” initiative, this standard aims to improve listening practices, especially among young people, whether they’re enjoying music at noisy entertainment venues or through personal audio devices. WHO urges governments and manufacturers to adopt this voluntary WHO-ITU standard to help protect young ears.

Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/
• https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/protect-your-hearing