I want you to turn it down because I care about your hearing! Source: Shutterstock.com

I get really overwhelmed when things are too noisy around me. Seriously, my skin feels like it’s crawling. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of my big pet peeves is when I can hear music blasting from someone’s headphones right next to me.

The point of the headphones is so I don’t hear all of your jams! Admittedly, I have kind of odd tastes in music, so usually I don’t even like what the person next to me is listening. Not always though. Not too long ago, a girl next to me was blasting “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato. I enjoyed this for a few seconds, but then I wished she would turn it down, too. Why? Because I was worried about her ears!

I’m not the only one. I just read a report from NBC News that a Hearing Loss Prevention Media Campaign is going to be started in New York City to clue young people in on the damage that loud music could be doing to their ears. One part of the plan is to have a social media presence to get the word out.

The NBC article that talked about the NYC campaign referenced a study from a few years ago that found nearly 20 percent of those from ages 12-19 had some kind of hearing loss. In addition, there were specifically higher instances of “high-frequency hearing loss” than there had been in a study completed in the early ’90s, prompting researchers to note that noise could be a factor in that new trend. Now, while those researchers didn’t specifically attribute their findings to personal music devices, they did cite another study from Australia that found a connection between hearing loss in kids and “personal listening devices.”

A study from last year said that having the volume really cranked up on your music device can be about the same as jet levels. JETS! The study also found that the loud noise can damage nerve cells, leading to “temporary deafness.” In that case though, “temporary” could be up to three months, so basically, that still doesn’t seem like a good way to treat your ears.

My one gripe with this NYC program is that I have noticed that this isn’t only a teenage concern. It’s an everyone thing! I see people of all ages playing their music super loud, and I wonder if they really know what kind of damage it could possibly be doing.

Hopefully they look into ways that will reach a wide variety of people because right now it doesn’t seem like only published studies are doing it. I mean, that one study on teens is from a couple years ago, and yet it still doesn’t seem like enough people are fully aware of the potential harm. Tapping into the Twitterverse and Facebook world sounds like a good start.

Seriously, I usually don’t want to hear your music (and you guys have shared similar feelings) but believe me when I say it’s not just annoyance, but also a concern for your safety. While this campaign doesn’t mean people out there monitoring the noise coming out of your headphones (as much as I would appreciate it, it’s probably not practical and an invasion of personal choice), maybe it’ll help people make some more responsible listening decisions on their own.

Do you think you listen to your music too loud? Do you think a campaign like this will get teens to turn down their music volume? Tell me in the comments!

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