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Is it safe for my child to use headphones and earbuds?

It can be safe for a child to use headphones or earbuds, depending on a combination of volume, listening duration, and the size of the ear canal. One song played at high volume will not likely damage a child's hearing. But prolonged listening at high volumes can damage hearing over time.

There's no research on how young is too young for headphones or earbuds. But we do know that the younger the child, the smaller the ear canals, which means the same sound level in a young child's ear will be louder than in a bigger kid's or an adult's ear.

My practical advice would be to hold off on headphones and earbuds at least until your child is old enough to tell you whether the volume is comfortable.

When you do start letting your child listen to music, shows, or audiobooks on headphones, consider choosing specialized ones that keep the sound level below 85 decibels (dBA) or an even more conservative 75 dBA.

Alternately, there are apps that set a volume limit for a device. This will help you feel confident that your child isn't listening at an excessive volume. Keeping the device at or below 50 percent of the maximum volume is often a good guide for safe listening. Taking listening breaks is also a good idea.

Two common myths are that earbuds are worse for your hearing than earphones and that if you can hear the sound coming from your child's earphones, the music is too loud. Neither is true.

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