Long-Term Headphone Use in Children: ENT Insights from Dr. Aditi Sinha (Part-2)
In this exclusive interview, Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath of MedBound Times speaks with Dr. Aditi Sinha, a highly experienced ENT–Head & Neck Surgeon based in Mumbai.
She has over a decade of clinical experience across leading hospitals in Mumbai including Jaslok Hospital & Research Center, K B Bhabha Municipal Hospital, P D Hinduja Hospital(under Padmashri Dr. Milind Kirtane), Masina Hospital Trust, and Inlaks General Hospital.
She obtained her MBBS degree from BYL Nair Hospital and T.N.Medical College, Mumbai and completed her DNB (Otorhinolaryngology) at Jaslok Hospital under the guidance of Padma Shri Dr. Sandra Desa Souza. Her DNB thesis focused on paediatric cochlear implantees.
In addition to providing excellent clinical care, Dr. Sinha is known for her patient counseling and communication skills reflected in her high word-of-mouth referrals, strong patient retention and satisfaction and a patient base that consists of several C-suite executives.
She has an active online, social media and offline media presence, frequently contributing health-related content and articles. She is a strong believer in digital health and AI driven health care platforms being an early adopter of technology in her clinical practice. She engages closely with digital health start-ups advising them on go-to-market and clinician/hospital partnerships.
She has also been active socially, working closely with deaf & mute children, helping organize several health-check up and vaccination camps, driving outpatient consultations for Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and other similar organizations.
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Does multitasking (e.g., gaming + headphones) contribute more to hearing fatigue or stress?
Dr. Aditi Sinha:
Prolonged exposure to sounds through headphones, even at moderate volumes, can strain the delicate structures of the inner ear, causing fatigue and potentially leading to hearing loss or tinnitus.
Gaming can be stressful due to competitive environments, time constraints, or frustrating gameplay. However, the physical impact of sound exposure through headphones is a more direct and potentially more harmful factor in the context of headphone and gaming use.
The combination of high volume and extended gaming sessions significantly increases the risk of hearing damage and fatigue.
While gaming can be stressful, the cumulative effect of high-volume headphone use can lead to more immediate and potentially irreversible hearing problems.
Therefore, while gaming can induce stress, the physical strain on the ears from headphone use, especially at high volumes, is a more significant concern in terms of hearing health.
What are early signs parents should watch for in kids that might indicate hearing damage?
Dr. Aditi Sinha:
Early signs in babies :
Does not react to loud sounds
Does not seek out or detect where sound is coming from
Has stopped babbling and experimenting with making sounds
Still babbles but is not moving to more understandable speech
Does not react to voices, even when being held
Signs in toddlers and older children :
Does not follow simple commands, such as “get your shoes,” or understand simple directions
Is easily frustrated or experiences communication breakdowns
Is falling behind with speech and communication skills
Cannot understand what you are saying unless they are looking directly at you
Cannot identify where sounds are coming from
Is exhausted at the end of school from concentrating to understand speech
Shows signs of behavioral problems or social difficulties
Experiences problems keeping up at school or grades slipping
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Is a child asking for increased volume a red flag?
Dr. Aditi Sinha: Listening to the TV or music on an extremely high volume or asking for volume to be increased is a BIG RED FLAG!
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Should regular hearing screenings be a part of pediatric check-ups for headphone users?
Dr. Aditi Sinha:
Newborns should have a screening test for hearing problems by 1 month of age.
Children should have their hearing checked before they enter school. School-aged children may have hearing screening tests as part of their regular health checkups.Starting at 4 years old, children may undergo pure tone audiometry (PTA) screening.
The AAP recommends that all kids have hearing tests at ages 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 years, with additional screenings between ages 11-14, 15-17 and 18-21. These screenings can diagnose hearing changes at the earliest possible stage, when interventions can have the greatest positive impact.
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Can ENT specialists provide hearing protection advice tailored to a child’s lifestyle?
Dr. Aditi Sinha: Yes of course.
ENT specialists can advise the type of headphones, type of hearing protection and also tailor made audiometic assessment and/or medications/therapy keeping in mind the child's lifestyle, medical and genetic history.
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Can chronic headphone use in teens contribute to social withdrawal or communication issues?
Dr. Aditi Sinha: Yes !
Wireless headphones can act as a wall blocking social interaction. According to psychology studies social connection is vital to the health and happiness of individuals, and earbuds prevent these essential connections from occurring by consuming their attention.
Additionally, it is pointed out that wearing earbuds causes emotional, psychological, and social damage to one as it puts them in a “limbo between being connected with the outside world through some sort of social interaction and being connected with our internal world of thoughts and emotions.”
The frequent use of wireless headphones sets a path toward social isolation that can easily lead individuals to detach from their external surroundings.
Dr. Sai Vinthiyaa Gopinath: Is there a known link between headphone-related hearing issues and learning difficulties?
Dr. Aditi Sinha: Yes, there is a known link between headphone-related hearing issues and learning difficulties.
Prolonged or excessive headphone use, especially at high volumes, can lead to hearing loss, which can significantly impact a child's ability to learn. This is because difficulty hearing can affect speech and language development, understanding instructions, and participation in classroom activities.
A.Headphones Can Cause Hearing Issues by :
Noise-induced hearing loss.
Tinnitus: A ringing, hissing, or buzzing sound in the ears (tinnitus) is a common symptom of noise-induced hearing loss and can be distracting and interfere with learning.
Hearing loss can make it challenging to understand spoken language, especially in noisy environments like classrooms.
In some cases, excessive headphone use may contribute to or worsen auditory processing disorder, a condition where the brain has difficulty processing sounds, even with normal hearing.
B.Impact on Learning:
Hearing loss can delay or impair a child's ability to develop language and speech skills, which are foundational for learning.
Children with even mild hearing loss may experience difficulties with reading, writing, and mathematics.
Difficulty hearing can lead to a child missing important instructions, struggling to follow conversations, and feeling isolated from peers, affecting their overall classroom experience.
C. Social and emotional development:
Hearing loss can lead to social isolation, frustration, and low self-esteem, which can also impact learning.
MedBound Times extends a heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Aditi Sinha for educating and raising awareness about headphone usage, long term risks and early prevention.
