Hey! Your headphones are too loud.
I’m not saying you need to take them off. Let’s be real: Headphones are here to stay. The twin forces of true wireless, which makes headphones more convenient, and remote work, which has replaced in-person meetings with dial-ins, have made headphones more indispensable than ever.
Here’s the problem: Based on today’s common headphone practices, that’s far too much. We’ve undergone a massive cultural shift, and are only just beginning to recognize how problematic the widespread use of headphones can be.
The modern worker relies on headphones. Many people are using them for 6 hours to 12 hours every day.
The Mayo Clinic recommends people wear headphones for only 60 minutes daily to avoid damaging their hearing, and health leaders are already flagging troubling trends in hearing health. According to BMJ, more than 1 billion Gen Z and Millennials are at risk of hearing loss due to excessive headphone use.
Without a swift course correction, we may find ourselves with an unanticipated crisis on our hands. It will likely take time before new safe-listening standards emerge and tech manufacturers start thinking about hearing health.
Hearing as wellness
Instead of thinking of my hearing as good or bad, I’m shifting my mindset: I now think of hearing as wellness.
For years, hearing loss has been either overlooked or over-associated with aging.
A wellness mindset takes hearing health into consideration much earlier in life. Soundly.com’s lead audiologist, Dr. Amy Sarow, suggests that adults take a baseline hearing test by 50 and test annually to note any changes; anyone whose life or work regularly exposes them to loud noises (which could mean anyone who regularly uses headphones) should start earlier.
Thankfully, this is easier to done than ever. Online hearing tests like this one are highly accessible and take just a few minutes to complete.
With a wellness mindset, you’re more likely to change the way you handle those long hours on Zoom. Dr. Sarow suggests that if you must wear headphones for long hours, keep your volume at 60% or the lowest volume you can still hear. Ask yourself if those Zoom hours have to be as long as they are. If they do, make sure to schedule regular breaks for your ears.
If you use AirPods, set volume limits and track your decibel output throughout the day. (Dr. Sarow recommends 80 dB as a reasonable maximum.) If you don’t use Apple devices, make sure you can hold a conversation with someone four feet away—if not, your music or podcast is too loud. And if you work in a place with background noise, it’s worth investing in noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to maintain a much lower overall volume.
An industry design challenge
The popularity of headphones is likely to go up, not down. Features like transparency mode, which passes through outside sound, are enabling even more everyday wear.
The World Health Organization has pushed for a government-backed safe listening standard, but until there is one, it will be up to tech companies to decide how loud to make their headphones.
This presents a critical design challenge to the likes of Apple, Bose, and Sony. Apple’s safety features are a good start, but hardly constitute a central design feature. Here are three steps that manufacturers should take to improve hearing wellness:
- Cue audible or visible warnings on devices when headphones become too loud (around 85 dB).
- Track daily listening time and allow users to set daily limits.
- Work with health groups to establish a health score based on duration and volume of listening.
Employers: Get involved
Since the pandemic, many workers have come to rely on headphones for regular remote meetings and collaborative sessions.
Employers can support their workforce by suggesting listening breaks throughout the day and promoting awareness of the importance of hearing health. They might also consider providing high-quality noise-canceling headphones for employees who work in loud environments such as coffee shops and open-format offices.
Some help is on the way, with new companies like Tuned aiming at bringing hearing health services and advice to the remote workforce through telehealth sessions and hearing tests. The company offers its services to HR teams and provides a first-of-its-kind option for remote leaders. This is a welcome step in the right direction, and with any luck, we’ll be hearing—loud and clear—about more soon.
Blake Cadwell is CEO and cofounder at Soundly.com.