We live in a culture of LOUDness. So, it is worth considering the volume level of music playing out of children’s earbuds or headphones and the potential negative impact on their hearing and health! Read on for some tips and considerations. . . 
Whether it is the music played at home, in the car, or through earbuds, it is always a good time to discuss the importance of listening to music at a healthy volume level.
Our children should know that listening to music through headphones or earbuds at loud volumes may irreversibly damage their hearing.
Take a look at some resources at the NIDCD to help your music students maintain healthy listening habits.
Here are some tips on avoiding hearing loss from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Read a statement on headphones and hearing loss by the American Osteopathic Association.
What are some ways to help young people become more aware of the sound around them?
In addition to providing information and having conversations with children on how to be healthy about listening to music, you might be interested in some creative projects to get them thinking about sound.
Check out the interactive website HowLoud.com to become more aware of the loudness of sounds around where we live and other places.
Help children explore the sounds of their surroundings by going on a sound walk.
Read composer R. Murray Schafer’s book The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and Tuning of the World, which details ways of thinking about the sounds around us and consider ways of helping young people become more attune to the soundscape of their environment.
Consider exploring the work of Pauline Oliveros related to the concept of Deep Listening. Encourage children to try to engage in deep listening.
Have children keep track of all the sounds they hear around them. Have them do this at different times of the day, in different places, and at different points of time throughout the year. Then have them look through their sound journals and make observations of similarities and differences.
Do you talk to your children or students about the loudness of their music and their health or wellness in terms of hearing?