Hearing problems are becoming more common in young people, and a new study shows that one in eight teenagers has hearing issues by the age of 18.
About 13 percent of young people already show early signs of noise-related hearing loss, and permanent damage has been found in 6 percent of teenagers.
Doctors warn that even small changes in hearing during teenage years can lead to long-term problems. Hair cells in the inner ear help turn sound into electrical signals for the brain, but very loud noises can damage these cells — and once damaged, they do not grow back.
In the study, scientists checked the hearing of 3,300 Dutch teenagers aged 13 to 18. Over the five years, they saw an increase in cases of “hearing notches,” which means a reduced ability to hear certain sound frequencies. Teenagers who already had high-frequency hearing loss at 13 were much more likely to experience further loss by 18.
Read more: Why Winter Makes You Feel Hungrier — And How to Control It
Young people are often exposed to sounds above 85 decibels, which is the level at which hearing damage can begin. Everyday devices like music speakers, headphones, fireworks, and sirens can easily go beyond this limit.
Experts say that even mild hearing loss can affect daily life, causing communication difficulties and lowering academic performance.
