BOSTON — Whether it’s running errands, exercising, or taking the T, you’re guaranteed to see someone with some type of headphones in their ears. Apple raked in more than $100 million in sales with its AirPods in 2020.
Just like your phone, it’s a necessity many can’t leave home without.
“My son…all day,” said Elena Hernandez of Boston.
AirPods, earbuds, headphones - there are all different styles, but they all do the same thing: bring the latest podcast, music, or work meeting directly to your ears.
“I wear them when I work out, I wear them when I work, and then when I’m just listening to music,” said Robin Pashek of Brookline.
They’ve even replaced the traditional way of talking on the phone.
“I was just on the phone with my boyfriend,” said Hernandez with earbuds in their ears.
We see people wearing them everywhere.
“Yea, all the time, just about everybody on Longwood or even around here have them in, and they never hear you coming,” said Casey Norton of Brookline.
Safety isn’t the only issue with wearing earbuds or air pods in your ears constantly.
“I keep calling him without his headphones on, and he doesn’t listen, so I might need to take him to the doctor because it’s concerning,” said Hernandez.
Doctors told Boston 25 News they’re hearing more of these concerns.
“As parents, we often think about screen time, the amount of time you’re allowing your child to look at a screen,” said Dr. Elliott Kozin, a physician and surgeon at Mass Eye and Ear. “You could almost think about it like hear time as well. How much time do they spend with earbuds, air pods, or other headphones around their ears.”
Dr. Elliott Kozin says patients are asking how they can protect their ears.
“Be aware of it,” Dr. Kozin said. “To be aware that if you listen to the sound, whether it’s music or conversations that are at a loud level, it can cause long-term hearing loss. So I think as long as you’re aware of that, you can take preventative steps.”
The first is to lower the volume—and some apps either have controls you can set or will notify you when the volume is too loud. The other is to recognize any symptoms, such as ringing in your ear or headaches---then that’s an indicator you should turn it down. Dr. Kozin says researchers are looking into whether certain headphones can cause more damage than others.
“Anything closer to your inner ear or eardrum might be more detrimental because you’re essentially blocking out all the other sounds and can make it much louder,” Dr. Kozin said.
To cut back on the amount of time headphones are in your ears, Dr. Kozin suggests listening through the speakers while working from home or during virtual meetings. He says some studies show by the time someone reaches their 40s or 50s, they’re already experiencing some type of hearing loss. And that’s why he urges people to take their ear health seriously.
He also encourages people to think about the environment around them. If you’re turning up your headphones to cancel out the noise, you need to be careful it’s not too loud—or instead, take out your headphones entirely and experience what’s going on around you.
“Sometimes I do kind of think about all the noises that I’m not listening to in my everyday life,” Pashek said.
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