MP3 players are not going anywhere, they are as mainstream as the Discman and Walkman were back in the day. The only difference being is that back then they didn’t market it to young kids and even infants! Unfortunately the sad truth is that hearing loss is going to come a lot sooner for the next generation and even the current one if everyone insists on pumping up the volume through those little white earbuds.
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association or better known as ASHA, has started a campaign more exciting than the current presidential one to raise awareness about hearing loss. Through www.listentoyourbuds.org youngsters will be entertained with “eye-catching characters and messages” that intend to get the message across about safe listening at a young age. ” The Buds” are two cartoon characters that will give tips to parents, teachers, and others on how to teach kids from ages 5-10 on how to safely listen to their MP3 players and other audio technology.
The website is interactive with games and other downloadable goodies to make it seem interesting to prevent a child from losing their hearing. So for those with youngsters check it before they start saying “WHAT DID YOU SAY - I CAN”T HEAR YOU!” because they can’t hear rather than because they are just ignoring you.