The Sound of Music

Imagine this: You’re sitting in class and your professor gives out some vital information, but you just couldn’t quite catch exactly what he/she was saying, so, you lean over to your neighbor to ask for clarification, but your neighbor cannot decipher what your professor stated either. You then lean over to your other neighbor, whom also is clueless, as is the rest of your teenage class… So what are your options? What strange epidemic has caused the loss of hearing in the 20+ students enrolled in your class?

As unfortunate as this event may sound, it is actually happening in schools and colleges across the nation. Hearing loss has increased roughly 30% since 2006, according to a recent study by researcher Gary C. Curhan MD, ScD, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health. Also unfortunate is the source of this hearing loss amongst American teens- technology.

It is not uncommon to travel around town and see children as young as age ten blasting music in their ears; we are, in fact, a technology-driven society. Furthermore, the damage is now beginning to surface before the affected even reach their teen years. That being said, we must note that children of even younger ages than ten are gaining access to these hearing-damaging devices, and it is also pertinent that we examine even the mediums with the best intentions that deliver exposure to the sources. For example: parents.

Adolescents- teens and children, especially, gain access to these devices through their parents. After all, eight-year-old mike has no way of earning the $200 he needs to buy the new iPod touch- of course he’s gaining access to it from his parents, so while some may argue that iPod should take responsibility for damage incurred by its devices, parents should, in fact, take responsibility for furnishing the devices which are ruining the hearing of their children.

Adolescents in today’s era are deemed the “iPod Generation”. “Hours after hours of iPod, television, and radio use seem to be the source of all the hearing loss ‘hoopla’”, said the Boston Herald. “No more than an hour of listening is recommended per day, over-the-ear headphones should be used, and turning down the volume will help keep listeners safe from harmful decibel levels. Over 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, and nearly half are younger than 65.”

If this abuse of technology and irresponsibility of its users continues, who knows what the future for the “iPod Generation” holds? Regardless of the paths we take in life, hearing is an important aspect of any state-of-being. So the next time Miley Cyrus wants you to “put your hands up”, make sure you turn the volume down...or you just might miss out on that “Party in the USA”.

Sources:
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=118997
http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2007/05/16/News/Loud-Listening.Ipods.Causing.Hearing.Loss-2904296.shtml
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67H0CJ20100818

Commentary By: Khyajuanna Cooksey

Though the thought of hearing loss has been on the rise since 2006, the issue at hand cannot be blamed on just one party alone. After all, aren't we the ones that chose to place the volume as high as it could go; and aren't companies such as Apple partially to blame as well? It is illogical to only blame parents for the increase of hearing loss because they account for only one portion of the equation and equally so, companies that produce such devices cannot take full responsibility because they give their consumers volumes that they are able to adjust either higher or lower. Though they are not the ones to be blamed, mainstream media does nothing to advocate for people that suffer from hearing loss due to continual use of such loud devices!

As parents purchase ipods and or mp3 players it is your job to  look at the benefits and risks that associate with each product and decide if you are going to purchase such products. With that being said, as a producer of such devices I have to ensure my consumers quality as well as safety. I cannot create such problems and adopt the attitude "I can't be blamed because you chose to use my product, it's right here in my contract!" It's almost as if they were tobacco companies and the consumers were people that suffered from all types of diseases and disorders because of the product!

Such a topic really causes one to think. As a parent, am I to blame for my child's or my own hearing loss because I decided to purchase this device and not make sure that little Mike didn't have it on the highest volume setting? Or as the company that produces these ipods and mp3 players, am I the one to be blamed because I created a product knowing that if a child used my product on the highest volume setting, it could possibly cause damage to his or her hearing? This question cannot be easily answered nor can the problem be easily solved by blaming the entire issue only on one factor of the equation!