Are earbuds/headphones bad for my ears? It’s a question us audiologists hear often, especially from concerned parents of kids and teens. In order to answer this question, you first need to understand what makes any sound safe vs harmful; it’s not the type of sound that it is (music, movies, a large crowd of people etc.), or the way that sound is delivered to your ears(naturally or with earbuds/headphones), but the volume or intensity of the sound that matters which is measured in decibels or dBs. If we’re exposed to too high decibel levels over too long of a time, damage to the ear can occur. For instance, you can be exposed to the sound of a small speaker playing safely for longer than you can listen to a concert safely. Why? Because a small speaker is much quieter than a concert. So in short: no, headphones are not bad for your ears. BUT if turned up too loud, they can become bad. The key is keeping all sounds to a safe volume, preferably under 70dB.
Are Headphones/Earbuds Bad?
