Hear that? Lower the volume

The holiday season is here and most of us are likely to be cooped up in our houses for the foreseeable future. Few of the activities in the house during the holidays includes watching TV or on our smartphones. This is a regime that even kids follow. With limited space and the whole family around, they generally cocoon into their own space with a pair of headphones. Keep in mind that long hours of listening with the volume cranked up can lead to permanent ear damage. To add to that, the kids are already undertaking virtual lessons at home, so it isn't an easy task to control the amount of listening that they do ideally.

In order to minimise the risks, we have some common tips to start protecting your young:

Listen low: Loud sounds can damage hearing - but the amount of time you listen matters, too. We can safely listen to sounds at 85 decibels (dB) for up to eight hours a day. That's about the volume of city traffic. At max volume, smartphones and tablets can blare at 105 dB or more - a sound intensity that can damage ears in as little as five minutes. If you can hear sounds coming from your child's ear-piece when standing an arm's length away, then that's your cue of 'dangerously' loud.

Tech to the rescue: Sound level meter apps measure noise levels to help kids stay in the safe zone. Apps such as Decibel X, Too Noisy Pro, Sound Meter Pro, etc., can help you tap the decibels better.

Safe headphones: Keeping tabs on volume is the easy part. Getting kids to turn down the dial when it's too loud. Choosing the right headphones can make that job less stressful. With JBL, LilGadget, and Onanoff, you can be a bit less worried of chasing after your kids at all times.

Earbuds: Also called occluding earbuds, isolating earbuds form a tight seal inside the ear canal to block out the surrounding noise. When kids don't have to tune out the sounds of traffic or teasing siblings, they can focus on the audio at a safe volume. However, these also reduce important warning sounds like car horns, so they're not a good choice if your child listens to music outside.

Over-the-ear headphones: Many parents assume headphones are also safer since they don't get as close to the eardrum. But that's not true. Their larger size means they can deliver sounds at a higher volume. So, as with any headphones, you'll still have to keep an eye on the dial.

- Inputs: Clevelandclinic.org