The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that people should limit their music time to an hour per day to avoid hearing loss.
The global health authority stated that about 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are overusing their personal audio devices and exposing themselves in noisy music venues, thus increasing their risk to hearing loss.
To date, 43 million people from age 12 to 35 have hearing loss and this number is bound to increase if the current generation ignore the recommendation. Half of people in rich and middle-income countries were exposed to unsafe levels from their personal devices, while 40 percent were exposed to noisy clubs and bars.
WHO explained that the risk of developing hearing loss can be lowered by keeping the volume down, but it is best to make it a habit to use the personal audio devices for only an hour per day. People can also use ear plugs when going to noisy venues and standing away from the speakers.
WHO is aware that calling for people to cut their music time to an hour and for businesses and headset manufacturers to limit their volume is a huge hurdle. After all, breaking a habit is really tough.
"What we're trying to do is raise awareness of an issue that is not talked about enough, but has the potential to do a lot of damage that can be easily prevented," Dr. Etienne Krug, the WHO's director for injury prevention, told BBC News.
The WHO's safe listening times are:
85 dB - the level of noise inside a car - eight hours
90 dB - lawn mower - two hours 30 minutes
95 dB - an average motorcycle - 47 minutes
100 dB - car horn or underground train - 15 minutes
105 dB - mp3 player at maximum volume - four minutes
115 dB - loud rock concert - 28 seconds
120 dB - vuvuzela or sirens - nine seconds
