Audiologists raise concern over headphone use in young people
16 Feb 2025
Whether it's the echo of beeping tills in a supermarket or the hissing of a coffee machine in your local café, the brain is constantly working to decode hundreds of noises each day.
But, for some, those background noises can become so overwhelming that they distract them from recognising voices or alerts.
This is the reality for Sophie, a 25-year-old administration assistant from London, who is used to being told she doesn't listen, zones out, or is "a bit ditsy".
"Even though I can hear that there are noises going on, I can't listen to where the noise is coming from. I know it's the person's voice, I just can't really compute it quick enough," she said.
After a hearing test came back normal, Sophie met a private audiologist for further testing. She was eventually diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD), a neurological condition where the brain finds it difficult to understand sounds and spoken words.
Her audiologist and others in England are now calling for more research into whether the condition is linked to overuse of noise-cancelling headphones.