Study Shows Video Gamers Are At An Increased Risk Of Permanent Hearing Loss

A new study has found that video gamers across the globe may be at a greater risk of permanent hearing loss or being diagnosed with an insistent ringing in their ears also known as tinnitus. People who regularly indulge in video games often expose themselves to high-intensity sound levels for a prolonged period. The authors of the study say that the daily exposure to high-intensity sound levels due to video games often surpasses the maximum permissible safe levels of sound exposure, which is around 75 decibels for kids for 40 hours per week.

The study included over 50000 individuals who were part of 14 studies conducted in nations across Europe, Asia, North America, South East Asia, Australia, and Asia. The study has noted that headphones, music venues, and earbuds also contribute to hearing loss and are considered significant sources of unsafe sound levels. The study revealed that over 3 billion people were indulged in video gaming in 2022. The findings indicated that the prevalence of video gaming among young adults fluctuated between 28 and 68 percent. Experts said that two studies linked the usage of gaming centers among school children to an increased risk of chronic tinnitus and high-frequency hearing loss in both ears. Other studies reviewed in the new study linked video gaming with a greater likelihood of severe self-reported hearing loss.

These studies measured the sound levels of five video games via headphones joined to gaming consoles, which were counted at 88.5, 87.6, 85.6, and 91.2 decibels for 4 different shooter games, and 85.6 decibels for a racing video game. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in association with the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the acceptable sound exposure level as 75 decibels for 40 hours per week with a 3 decibels exchange rate, which shows the permitted exposure duration splits with every 3 decibels rise in levels of sound. Therefore, children can safely indulge in an 83 decibels sound for nearly 6.5 hours, 86 decibels sound for 3.25 hours, 92 decibels for 45 minutes, and 98 decibels for only 12 minutes per week.