Earlier this month, <a href="http://www.today.com/health/it-s-going-get-worse-nearly-30-percent-teens-have-t96756">NBC News' Today informed</a> that according to a new study, 30% of teenagers are suffering from tinnitus, a condition associated with a buzzing or ringing noise in the ears. The senior researcher at the Ontario-based McMaster University, Larry Roberts, informed that tinnitus is an ever-growing problem and is a "major public health challenge" the modern people face. Moreover, according to the World Health Organization, nearly 1.1 billion young people are threatened by hearing loss due to the abuse and misuse of portable music players and extremely high levels of sound at music festivals and other venues.

<strong>Smartphones, Music Players, and Earbuds</strong>

Ear, nose and throat specialists note that with today's advanced technologies, such as smartphones with powerful batteries and complex computers, identifying the main reason behind the ever-increasing hearing problems is not hard. These devices are capable of producing sound with levels well over 85 decibels, and constant exposure to them can cause severe damage to our hearing. As a matter of fact, permanent damage can be cause in a matter of minutes. In addition the popular amongst teenagers’ in-ear headphones called earbuds are placed deep inside the ears, producing extremely loud music and at the same time isolating the noise, so it doesn't spread.

<strong>The Listening Habits Are Behind All This</strong>

In his study, Mr. Larry Roberts and his team performed hearing tests on 170 young people at an age between 11 and 17 years old. The study revealed that almost all students had "risky listening habits" both when at clubs, and when using their personal music devices. In addition, the majority of responders said that they had experienced tinnitus at least once in their lifetime.

<strong>Tinnitus is a Clear Sign</strong>

The effects of tinnitus are observed just for a couple of days after being exposed to loud noise or music. However, during the study of Mr. Roberts, nearly one-third of the participants said that they are having a buzzing noise in their ears, which is a clear sign that the tinnitus condition has become persistent in their case. And although they showed no significant hearing loss, all of them had increased sensitivity to noises, which suggests that their auditory nerves are already damaged. Moreover, additional studies reveal that this sensitivity often leads to hearing problems later on in your life.

<strong>How to Protect Our Hearing</strong>

Protection is simple - according to specialists, young people can protect their hearing by keeping the volume on their music player below 60% and by listening to music for not more than 60 minutes a day.