One in three Danish children aged 9–14 use headphones for hours daily

A new survey by Epinion for DR Ultra finds that 35 percent of Danish children aged 9–14 use headphones for one to two hours a day or more.

Headphones themselves are not inherently harmful, according to senior researcher Susanne Nemholt of the Communication Centre in the Capital Region of Denmark, who has studied tinnitus in children. The risk depends on volume, duration, and frequency of use.

“As long as they’re not constantly on the ears and the volume isn’t so high that it blocks out the world, it’s not necessarily a problem,” Nemholt said. She notes that cumulative noise exposure—from school, sports halls, or other sources—also affects hearing over time.

To protect children’s hearing, Nemholt offers four guidelines: keep volume low enough to allow conversation, take listening breaks (e.g., 15 minutes off after 45 minutes on), avoid cranking up volume in noisy environments, and use high-quality headphones that deliver clear sound at lower volumes.

The World Health Organization estimated in 2022 that over a billion people aged 12–35 worldwide risk hearing damage from loud audio devices.