Parents Beware: Loud toys can damage child's hearing

Washington, Dec 8 (UNI) A muted danger seems to be lurking among children as noisy toys, high volume electronic games and music players find their way to kids playing rooms.

Researchers have warned that noisy toys can cause permanent damage to a child's hearing.

Tests on 17 of the most popular toys revealed that the loudest item was the High School Musical Rockerz Jammin Guitar, which registered 106 decibels on a laboratory sound meter when measured one inch away from the speaker, Science Daily reported.

University of California, Irwin researcher Jeff Carroll said all the toys were safe when used as directed but children often needed to be reminded about their appropriate use.

''Hearing loss is not only irreversible, but can affect the lifelong academic and social development of children,'' she said.

Last year's report suggested that MP3 players can cause permanent hearing loss when played too long at high volumes. Some music players, therefore, now come equipped with parental volume controls.

UNI