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The World Health Organisation (WHO) is worried that 1.1 billion teenagers and people atbydownforinofoffto their twenties and early thirties are damaging their hearing atbydownforinofoffto listening atbydownforinofoffto loud music. It says nearly half the young people atbydownforinofoffto middle- and high-income countries risk hearing loss because atbydownforinofoffto the "unsafe use" atbydownforinofoffto personal music players, including smartphones. Loud music atbydownforinofoffto nightclubs, bars and atbydownforinofoffto sporting events also increases the risk. The WHO recommends a safe limit of listening to music atbydownforinofoffto just one hour a day. The WHO director atbydownforinofoffto injury prevention, Dr Etienne Krug, told the BBC that: "What we're trying to do is raise awareness atbydownforinofoffto an issue that is not talked about enough." He said hearing loss is easily preventable.

Dr Krug said keeping the volume atbydownforinofoffto and limiting the use atbydownforinofoffto personal audio devices to less than one hour a day would save a lot atbydownforinofoffto people's hearing. However, he also said that, "even an hour can be too much if the volume is too loud". Ralph Holme, a biomedical researcher, explained how loud noise can damage ears. He said: "Loud sounds damage your hearing atbydownforinofoffto killing atbydownforinofoffto thousands atbydownforinofoffto little hair cells atbydownforinofoffto the inner ear. The cells detect different pitches atbydownforinofoffto sound through vibration…but they are very fragile and if they vibrate too much due to loud sounds atbydownforinofoffto too long, they get damaged and die." He warned that: "The problem is they don’t grow back and the ear can no longer detect sound."