The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Thursday launched a safe listening toolkit that will serve to protect music lovers from hearing loss.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the toolkit for safe listening devices and systems was launched at a gathering of staff from WHO and ITU in celebration of the power of sounds and music.
“We all love music, it is one of the things that makes life worth living. But you can have too much of a good thing. There is a saying in our language: even honey is bitter if you eat too much” said WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus.
A billion teenagers and young adults globally are at risk of developing hearing loss because they listen to music too long and too loud. Rising incomes and greater access to technology are increasing the numbers of people at risk, Tedros explained.
Once hearing loss due to loud sounds sets in, it cannot be reversed. Such hearing loss, if unaddressed, can greatly impact one’s ability to communicate, gain education or find and hold suitable employment.
The toolkit, with three sets of features, provides practical guidance to support member States, industry partners and civil society groups to use and implement.
The first feature is a software that tracks how much and how long you are listening, and tells you how much sound you are getting.
The second is a safety feature that includes automatic volume reduction and parental control — like giving people an optional safety belt in their device.
The third feature is about making this information available to the user at the touch of the fingertip, so users can find out how much sound they have consumed today, or over the last week.