How Safe Are Wireless Headphones?

With truthful overmuch euphony and truthful galore podcasts disposable to watercourse these days, it’s possibly nary wonderment that headphones are truthful popular.

According to information institution Statista, we walk astir 1 cardinal pounds each twelvemonth connected them successful nan UK alone, pinch wireless headphones particularly successful demand. While galore users emotion them, location person besides been concerns connected socials astir their imaginable wellness risks. BBC Bitesize Other Side of nan Story took a person look down those concerns to abstracted nan facts from nan fake.

Are wireless headphones safe?

Wireless headphones (both over-the-ear and inner-ear) usage Bluetooth technology to link pinch our phones. This involves an electromagnetic field and has led immoderate group to judge it could harm our brains.

Are costly headphones better?

Noise-cancelling headphones are a comparatively caller invention. They incorporate typical package that cancels retired outer sound specified arsenic nan TV aliases a canine barking, allowing nan personification to attraction solely connected 1 sound.

They alteration successful price, from little than £50 to good complete £100 and higher. Which? magazine, wherever a squad of experts trial different makes and models of various products, recovered that it was imaginable to get bully value noise-cancelling features connected headphones that costs astir £50, truthful it isn't ever basal to walk a batch of money - but really overmuch personification spends is wholly up to them successful nan end.

Do noise-cancelling headphones protect our hearing?

Other Side of nan Story said to Claire Benton, president of nan British Academy of Audiology, to find retired much abut noise-cancelling headphones. Claire explained that they tin thief protect people's proceeding arsenic focusing connected 1 sound pinch each others cancelled out, intends it doesn't request to beryllium listened to astatine a large level.

"You still person to travel bully listening hygiene," Claire said. "Give your ears breaks from listening, support nan level down astatine a safe listening level regardless, because nan enticement is still to move it up. Some group really bask large euphony and we do cognize that is really vulnerable if you do it for excessively long. Eighty-five decibels(db) for 8 hours is what nan [official] regulations opportunity is safe, without immoderate proceeding protection."

Eighty-five db is nan balanced of nan sound made by dense postulation aliases a nutrient blender. If you listened to thing conscionable 3 db louder, Claire said, nan magnitude of clip you could perceive to it safely abruptly halves from 8 hours to four.

Claire added: "If you're nan benignant of personification that gets easy distracted by outer sound aliases finds inheritance sound intrusive, noise-cancelling headphones tin beryllium adjuvant to make you consciousness calmer successful those noisy places.

"Questions are starting to beryllium raised that if you usage noise-cancelling headphones acold excessively much, it tin perchance change your auditory processing skills. There is simply a anticipation that wearing noise-cancelling headphones for acold excessively agelong disrupts your expertise to process reside successful sound erstwhile you're not wearing them, but it's purely astatine nan moment."

What's nan quality betwixt headphones and receptor plugs?

Noise-cancelling headphones are 1 measurement to trim sound levels, but aren't applicable for a unrecorded arena specified arsenic a performance aliases euphony festival. However, these are nan type of environments wherever it's worthy looking aft your ears - and receptor plugs whitethorn beryllium an option.

Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) investigation recovered that 58% of group aged betwixt 18 and 28 suffered immoderate shape of proceeding nonaccomplishment aliases hearing-related rumor aft vulnerability to large music. Most of nan time, nan effects don’t last, but continuing to expose our ears to specified large environments tin person lasting damage. The caller style of receptor plugs, which are becoming celebrated astatine festivals, let sound done but astatine a reduced level, which tin make it easier to be these events if large sound levels make you uncomfortable.

Do receptor plugs work?

Ear plugs do work. Even nan cheapest foam plugs create a obstruction betwixt outer sound and nan receptor canal - though attraction is advised erstwhile inserting and removing them.

The mean euphony show has sound levels of betwixt 90db and 100db, whereas nan quality receptor tin header safely pinch prolonged listening to sound of nary much than 80db.

Saira Hussain is an audiologist, who told nan BBC Sounds Sliced Bread podcast her thoughts connected receptor plugs: “From a healthcare perspective, I’m gladsome there’s an consciousness now, aliases greater awareness, astir protecting your proceeding from noise. So definitely, erstwhile you are going to a festival… decidedly person thing to protect your ears.”

Check retired this clip from Sliced Bread of Saira talking astir receptor plugs.

Trevor Cox, who besides appeared connected Sliced Bread, is Professor of Acoustic Engineering astatine nan University of Salford. He said that, if buying a group of plugs, he would look for ones that advertised a circumstantial simplification successful decibels. However, he did add: “I wouldn’t spot to bargain them because I wouldn’t cognize what they do until they arrive.”

This article was published successful August 2025