The scientific EU committee "Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks" has addressed the problem, and in a recently released report referred to the fact that MP3 players and other portable audio play back devices with earphones can seriously damage hearing. This risk exists for five to ten percent of the 2.5 to 10 million users in the EU. Given the health considerations, the European Commission intends to examine "what measures can be taken to better protect children and young people from the noise exposure they experience from MP3 players and similar play-back devices."

If you consider that, according to a guideline of the European Parliament which was adopted in February 2008 as a national right for EU members, hearing protection must be worn in the workplace when the noise level is at a constant level of 80 decibels or above, you can see how great the danger of irreversible hearing damage through MP3 players is, particularly because most young users are unaware of the fact, or they do not take it seriously. Dr. Craig A. Kasper, Au.D., Chief Audiology Officer for a private hearing healthcare practice based in the New York Metropolitan area confirms, "The problem is clearly underestimated as often the symptoms only appear years later. In Germany this has not yet been clearly understood. Given that the consequences, such as tinnitus and reduced hearing, are generally irreversible it is urgent that we become active to protect young people."