Approximately 5.2 million children and teens between the ages of six and 19 have noise-related hearing loss. As your child enters their teen years, the constant presence of headphones, noisy stereos, concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl and booming action movies could put them at risk of noise-induced hearing loss. In addition to noise-related causes, your teen can suffer hearing damage from ear infections, physical trauma, genetics and more. To help ensure early diagnosis and treatment, let’s take a look at a few warning signs that your teen may have hearing loss.
1. Turning Up the TV or Radio Louder Than Usual
Many teens enjoy blasting their music at high volumes, but if they find themselves needing to crank up the TV volume or rely on subtitles to understand movie dialogue, it could be a sign of hearing damage.
2. Withdrawing Socially
When we struggle to understand those around us, especially in busier environments, it often feels easier to skip social outings. If your teen used to be a social butterfly but you’ve noticed them starting to pull away from friends or activities they used to love, they could be struggling to understand those around them.
3. Poor Academic Performance
Struggling in school is a common sign of teenage hearing loss. When teens have trouble hearing and understanding their teacher, especially in large or noisy classrooms, they may find it harder to keep up with lessons. This difficulty can extend to group projects, where hearing others’ ideas and contributing becomes challenging and exhausting. As a result, their grades may start to dip. If your teen’s grades are slipping and they seem to be disengaging in school, it might be worth considering a hearing evaluation.
4. Not Responding When You Call Their Name
It’s normal for teens to tune out their parents occasionally, but if your teen frequently doesn’t respond or shows a delayed reaction when spoken to, it could be a sign of something more than just typical behavior. Before assuming it’s intentional, consider that hearing loss might be affecting their ability to communicate.
5. Frequent Bad Moods
Untreated hearing loss is frustrating. It’s hard to feel connected when conversations are challenging to follow, and this struggle can often lead to mood swings. If your teen suddenly starts displaying grumpy moods, talk to them about the reasons. Even if they know they have hearing loss, they might need your support and encouragement to talk openly about how it’s affecting them.
By recognizing the signs of hearing loss, you can help your teen seek treatment early on and prevent the side effects of hearing loss. To learn more about managing your teen’s hearing loss, contact Hearing Services of Santa Barbara today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.
