According to Associate Professor Pham Thi Minh Hong from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City, children should have safe exposure to sound levels below 70 decibels (dBA). Exceeding this limit can have detrimental effects on young children.
Research led by Prof. Minh Hong and her team reveals that many toys for children have noise levels surpassing the acceptable threshold for kids. Specifically, mobile phone toys have a noise level of 85 dBA; robot soldiers 94 dBA; musical phones 89 dBA; fire trucks 87 dBA; police machine guns 110 dBA; cap-fitted toy guns 134 dBA; toy rifles 007 with caps 127 dBA...
Noise levels above 70 dBA often cause symptoms like headaches and fatigue in children; beyond 90 dBA, it starts affecting their hearing; sound levels exceeding 120 dBA can lead to ear pain; at 150 dBA (nightclub noise or toy rifles firing), children's eardrums may rupture.
(Source: dantri.com.vn)
Exposure to noise exceeding the permissible limit for 30 minutes can impact the physiology, causing stress on the pituitary, pineal, and adrenal glands, leading to sleep disturbances, affecting blood pressure, and the heart of the child. Noise also affects the psychological aspect, causing stress, fatigue, discomfort, potentially putting children in a state of irritability, fear, or panic.
Minimizing the Impact of Noise on Children's Hearing and Psycho-Physical Development
To reduce the adverse effects of noise on children's hearing and psycho-physical development, doctors advise parents not to choose toys with loud sounds. Even with toys that have moderate sound levels, it's recommended not to let children play with them for too long.
Noisy Toys - A Major Disruptor of Children's Sleep
When noticing unusual signs in children such as slow reactions, delayed speech, lack of flexibility, or repeating questions during communication, parents should take them to the Audiology and Ear-Nose-Throat specialty for timely examination and intervention.
Therefore, let's explore safe and high-quality sound toys and musical instruments that bring joy to children while avoiding excessive noise that could impact their health.