The real danger of toys with sound | Chronic

Since time immemorial, children and toys have been an ideal society for entertainment and recreation. From these objects that had a piola to the most sophisticated that you can find today in any trade.

It should be kept in mind, for most people, that most products accompanied by sound stimulate children, especially the younger ones, although even teenagers use them regularly, but these same entertainment elements they entail also generally hearing difficulties, which deserve to be examined.

Today, more and more children are enjoying technological advances as something natural. The use of tablets and mobile phones as a form of entertainment is no longer unusual, it is limited to long trips or family reunions. At the same time, you can find more and more interactive toys or sounds that stimulate the little ones.

Sound stimulation is generally beneficial for its development, but not controlling the excessive volume of these devices or the environment in which they are located can cause long-term hearing problems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the causes of hearing loss in the smaller ones are diverse, but in 60% of cases, they can be prevented if certain precautions are taken.

In the smallest

For this reason and to be able to solve all the doubts concerning this subject, Monica Matti (Speech therapist and consultant Gaes Centros Auditivos) explained: "Unlike the adult, the auditory system of children is at a stage of development that makes them more sensitive to the noises of their environment, therefore, if they are exposed to loud noises for a long time, they can be caused permanent ear injuries usually identified over the years ".

It should be noted that hearing loss occurs cumulatively and over the long term. It is therefore recommended that parents control the exposure of their children to these stimuli at an early age.

To avoid damaging the children's hearing system, it is important to read the instructions of the toys that they use and to reduce the volume if possible.

It is also recommended to reduce the exposure to toys that emit loud sounds or that come close to the ear, in addition to controlling the volume of electronic devices to which they have access, as well as These are tablets, mobile phones or TVs located in common areas. housing.

"The noise tolerance is not only related to the decibels that the toy emits, so it is also necessary to take into account the timing of the exposure to noise, because children do not usually control these variables, it is important that adults take precautions and control the use of noisy toys "Matti added.

recommendations

In addition, it is advisable to perform annual medical checks with specialists, because the more quickly a hearing loss is identified, the more it is possible to prevent a larger hearing loss and normal development of the baby.

An important tip to keep in mind is that both parents or caregivers are always alert to situations in which the child does not respond properly to sounds, which can be a sign of loss. hearing.

It is sometimes difficult to detect mild forms of hearing loss, including hearing loss in an ear. It is essential to remember that even mild forms of hearing loss can adversely affect the learning ability of children.