I listen to some sort of audio for most of the day, whether that’s music, a YouTube video, or a podcast. I also go to concerts sometimes and often end up with ringing in my ears afterward. My parents have warned me to watch out for hearing damage, but I’m angsty and I never want to believe my parents, so I called some doctors to determine how badly headphones and loud sounds can damage our ears.

It’s true that headphones can be damaging, especially if you’re listening to music loudly, but you likely won’t notice it happening until it’s too late. That ringing in your ears is an obvious sign of damage that you never want to experience.

Certain types of headphones, like noise-canceling or noise-isolating pairs, could help — so long as you don’t use them to block out external noise while also blasting your music. Generally, try to be mindful of how loudly you play your music and for how long you’re doing so. Maybe try some time without sound. Also, if other people can hear what you’re playing, your music is definitely too loud.