A new survey has found over half of MP3 users are listening to their devices at dangerously high volume levels for up to two hours a day, and are potentially running the risk of hearing loss.
Of a sample of 1,000 adults who were interviewed for a RedC poll commissioned by Hidden Hearing, a hearing aid supplier, 11 per cent of those who owned a personal music device said they had experienced either ringing in their ears or "dull" hearing as a result of listening to the device through headphones.
Over a third of the same group said that they listened to their MP3 or other device for more than an hour a day through headphones.
Audiologist Keith Ross said the survey strengthens data from Hidden Hearing centres that indicates more young people are having their hearing tested than was previously the case.
"As a result of years of listening to personal music devices at very loud volumes, we are seeing a huge increase in the number of people sometimes as young as 30 suffering from hearing loss which you might expect a person aged over 70 to have," he said.
In a related on-the-street survey, MP3 users had the volume at which they were listening to their devices recorded. The results showed that 51 per cent of those surveyed were listening to their devices at 89 decibels while one in five was recorded at a volume above 100 decibels.
Mr Ross said listening to MP3 players at levels exceeding 100 decibels is akin to "standing two yards from someone operating a pneumatic drill".