Nonstop music may be taking a toll

'Turn down that music!"

For generations parents have shouted that admonition as teens blared Elvis on their transistor radios, the Beatles on their stereos and now, Lady GaGa on their iPods - and typically the order seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, these days that characterization has proved all too real.

Some 30 percent more teenagers today have some level of hearing loss compared to those in the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers also found that one in five teens has at least a slight hearing loss, which can affect learning, speech perception, social skills development and self-image, and one in 20 has a more severe loss.

Before singling out the prevalence of iPods, MP3 players and other personal music devices as the main reason for this disturbing development, some audiologists suggest other factors may be in play.

For instance, a rise in certain genetic disorders could cause increased hearing loss. In addition, survival rates have increased for premature babies, who are often more susceptible to hearing loss as they age.

But realistically, you have to consider all those ear pieces plugged in for hours at a time, blasting music at dangerously high decibels.

Years ago, kids listened to music only in their rooms after school or at parties, and when the noise got too loud parents pounded on the door and demanded lower volumes.

Things grew bad when boom boxes became popular in the 1980s, and then got worse with the Sony Walkman, one of the first portable players to use earphones. This era coincided with the advent of high-decibel rock concerts and live-music clubs, but at least most teens took a break for a few hours between auditory assaults.

Now, many teens plug in their ear buds when they get up in the morning and leave them in, or at least nearby, virtually all day. At the same time, parents tend to tune out this behavior, ignoring how loud the volume can soar.

"Personal stereos are the most important change in the culture in the last 15 to 20 years," Dr. Tommie Robinson Jr., president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, told themedguru.com, a medical website. "Everybody has their own little device now, and how many times have you passed somebody and could hear their music?"

Researchers recommended teens listen to music on their personal players no more than 90 minutes a day at 80 percent of the maximum volume.

This makes sense, but even better would be for more teens to unplug for a while, sit back and savor the sounds of silence.