Teen hearing loss on the rise

We love to listen to our iPods and MP3's. But all that time with your earphones plugged in may be doing a number on your hearing.

It’s leading to hearing loss at a younger age. Jennifer Kovacsi loves to crank it up and plug it in. She says, "I just pop in my earphones and use that as my jogging buddy… I can definitely crank it up a little too loud sometimes."

She spends a lot of time on her phone listening to her favorite tunes. But when she takes out those earphones, she hears ringing in her ears.

Ron Kaplan, an audiologist says it can happen if you listen to your headphones too loudly.

Kaplan says, "If you leave the level of your iPods or music at levels that can do damage to your hearing, that will be you in 10 or 15 years."

With more teens turning up the volume and staying plugged in for too long, it's leading to hearing loss at a younger age.

Kaplan says, "Actually it's become more of an epidemic now with young people… We're seeing people as young as 12, 14 years old coming in with hearing loss."

Kaplan says a good way to know if it's too loud is if you can hear the music coming through the headphones.

There are devices out there that can save your ears. A volume limiter plugs in to your iPod and controls how loud the music can come through.

Kaplan says you should turn down the volume now so you won't have to turn to hearing aids when you're still young.

When you wear your earphones, be sure to plug them in tightly so the outside noise doesn't seep through. That'll keep you from turning up the volume even louder.