Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effects of personal music listening habits on ultra-high-frequency hearing thresholds in young adults using objective data collected through an artifical intelligence-powered mobile application.

METHODS: A total of 35 young adults (12 males, 23 females; mean age: 21.3±1.7 years; range, 18 to 25 years), who had recorded their personal music listening duration and volume data for at least one year, were included in the comparative, cross-sectional study between June 2024 and June 2025. The participants underwent tympanometric evaluation, pure-tone audiometry, and otoacoustic emission measurements. Pure-tone hearing thresholds were evaluated at frequencies ranging from 125 Hz to 8000 Hz using a GSI Audiostar Pro audiometry device with TDH-39 headphones. The ultra-high-frequency hearing thresholds of the participants were evaluated at 8,000, 10,000, 12,500, 14,000, 16,000, and 18,000 Hz using a GSI Audiostar Pro audiometry device with Sennheiser HD 300 Pro Circumaural headphones. Participants were divided into two groups based on their listening habits: high-risk and controls.

RESULTS: The ultra-high-frequency hearing thresholds of the high-risk group were found to be higher than those of the control group at most frequencies, but this difference was not statistically significant (p<0.05). However, a significant difference was detected between the groups at low frequencies (250 and 500 Hz; p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that personal music listening habits in young adults may not yet have reached a level that causes permanent hearing loss. However, this study demonstrates that ultra-high-frequency audiometry can be an important tool for detecting potential early-stage hearing problems. Further follow-up studies with longer-term exposure data could more clearly reveal the effects of these habits.