Many reports recently have highlighted the problems of teens damaging their hearing by listening to their MP3 players too loudly. Concerns from parents and government seem warranted; as many teens readily admit to knowing about the dangers, yet seem unwilling to actually turn their volumes down because it hampers their enjoyment.

They simply think it won’t happen to them.

It’s not just damage to hearing that is faced by teens, they’re also susceptible to injury from accidents as a result of not being able to hear what is around them, especially when out in the street.

CoreMicro, a Canadian company, have an answer though as they’ve just launched what they term ‘ear saving technology’.

The product in question is ‘SafeVolume earbuds’ that will retail for just $19.99, and promise to limit the volume of portable digital music players such as MP3 players and iPods. They’re proven to work as well, winning a 2008 iParenting Media Award.

Dr. Blake Papsin, Cochlear Americas Chair in Auditory Development, stated:

When hearing is damaged or lost, there’s no way to get it back. These earbuds will reduce the numbers of hearing impaired children coming to see us in the future - and we can only imagine how many kids will be grateful to their parents for protecting them against a preventable source of hearing loss.

Hearing loss is a big problem in Canada as 1 in 10 Canadians experience hearing loss, partly attributed to MP3 players.

The earbuds cap the volume at 85 decibels, meaning users will not damage their hearing while using them.