If the kids have been plugged into the headphones for much of the holidays, listen up - it might be time to go on a noise diet.
With one in five young New Zealanders now experiencing hearing loss, we all may need to look at how we reduce the exposure..
The number of young people with hearing loss has shot up 30 per cent since the 1990s.
The increased use of headphones - up loud seems to be the the culprit, so how do we know what's too loud?
Chief executive of the National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Natasha Gallardo says the listening habits of young Kiwis are not “particularly safe”.
She says over the past three years, the listening habits of Year 9 students have been monitored, which has revealed approximately 16 per cent of them are listening to their devices at low volume. And about 20 per cent are listening at maximum volume.
“So a very small number of children are listening to their personal devices at safe levels.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends keeping volume levels just below halfway on a device, Gallardo says.
For more on this story, watch Seven Sharp's report above.
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