Loud music not such a smart idea

CHILDREN are blasting their ears with dangerous levels of music played on smartphones and are risking hearing loss.

Amid an explosion of music streaming through devices, research has found 15 per cent of Australians regularly pump up the volume on their headphones too loud and listen for too long. This is putting them at higher risk of irreversible noise-induced hearing damage.

Some are playing tunes on personal listening devices at maximum volume for several hours a day, the HEARing Cooperative Research Centre study revealed.

Experts advise restricting sound to no more than 80 per cent of maximum volume, and no more than 1 ½ hours a day.