Over 1 billion youngsters at hearing loss risk due to headphones, loud music: Study
Washington (PTI): Over one billion teenagers and young people are potentially at risk of hearing loss due to their use of headphones and earbuds, and attendance at loud music venues, according to a study published in the journal BMJ Global Health.
The international team, including researchers from Medical University of South Carolina, US, noted that the governments around the world need to urgently prioritise "safe listening" policies to safeguard aural health.
"There is an urgent need for governments, industry, and civil society to prioritise global hearing loss prevention by promoting safe listening practices," the authors of the study said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 430 million people worldwide currently have disabling hearing loss, the researchers said.
Young people are particularly vulnerable because of their use of personal listening devices (PLDs), such as smartphones, headphones and earbuds, and attendance at loud music venues, amid poor regulatory enforcement, they said.
Previously published research suggests that PLD users often choose volumes as high as 105 decibel (dB) while average sound levels at entertainment venues range from 104 to 112 dB.
This far exceeds the permissible sound levels of 80 dB for adults and 75 dB for children even if for very short periods of time.
The researchers gauged the prevalence of unsafe listening practices among teens and young adults to create a global estimate of the numbers who could therefore be at risk of hearing loss.
They trawled research databases for relevant studies published in English, French, Spanish and Russian, involving 12-34 year-olds, and reporting on objectively measured device output levels and length of exposure.
The research included 33 studies, corresponding to data from 35 records and 19,046 participants. 17 records focused on PLD use and 18 focused on loud entertainment venues.
The researchers also estimated the number of people who could be at risk of hearing loss by considering the estimated global population of 12-34 year-olds in 2022 (2.8 billion) and the best estimates of exposure to unsafe listening practices from PLDs or loud entertainment venues.
The research indicates that the prevalence of unsafe listening practices from PLD use and attendance at loud entertainment venues is common worldwide -- 24 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively, among teens and young people.
The researchers estimate that the global number of teens and young adults who could potentially be at risk of hearing loss as a result ranges from 0.67 to 1.35 billion.
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Bill to regulate deepfakes tabled in Lok Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): A Private Member's Bill seeking a clear legal framework for regulation of deepfakes has been introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The Regulation of Deepfake Bill, introduced by Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde in the House on Friday, aims to protect citizens by mandating prior consent from individuals depicted in deepfake content.
"Misuse of deepfakes for harassment, deception and misinformation has escalated, creating an urgent need for regulatory safeguards," Shinde said.
The Bill also lists penalties for offenders creating or disseminating deepfake content with malicious intent.
"With advancements in artificial intelligence and deep learning, deepfake technology has emerged as a significant tool for media manipulation. While the technology has potential applications in education, entertainment and creative fields, it also poses severe risks when misused, threatening individual privacy, national security and public trust," Shinde said in the statement of objects and reasons in the Bill.
The proposed Bill seeks to establish a clear legal framework to govern the creation, distribution and application of deepfakes in India, said Shinde, a three-term Lok Sabha member from Kalyan.
The Bill also seeks to establish the Deepfake Task Force, a dedicated body to combat national security implications and evaluate the influence of deepfakes on privacy, civic participation, and potential election interference.
The task force will collaborate with academic and private sector institutions to develop technologies that detect manipulated content, thereby promoting credibility in digital media.
The Bill also proposes to establish a fund to support public and private sector initiatives in the detection and deterrence of advanced image manipulation.
A Private Member's Bill is a procedure of Parliament that enables lawmakers, who are not ministers, to draw attention to issues that might not be represented in Government Bills or to highlight the issues and gaps in the existing legal framework that require legislative intervention.
