( CNN ) '' Hey dude -- can you turn your music down ? '' If anyone says this to you while you 're wearing your earbuds , take note : You are probably endangering your hearing . More than one billion teens and young adults are at risk of losing their hearing , according to WHO ( that 's the World Health Organization , not the rock band ) . It 's not just old folks who suffer hearing loss . Just by listening to music at what you probably think is a normal level , or hanging out in loud bars , nightclubs and music and sporting events , you can permanently damage your hearing . By analyzing listening habits of 12- to 35-year-olds in wealthier countries around the world , WHO found nearly 50 % of those studied listen to unsafe sound levels on personal audio devices and about 40 % are exposed to damaging levels of music and noise at entertainment venues . It does n't take much time to damage your hearing at a sports bar or nightclub . According to the WHO , `` exposure to noise levels of 100 dB , which is typical in such venues , is safe for no more than 15 minutes . '' Once you lose your hearing , it wo n't come back . Rapper Plan B and Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin know that all too well . They both suffer from tinnitus , hearing loss that causes a permanent and irritating ringing in the ears , because they did n't protect their hearing . Now they 've joined forces with a British hearing loss association to warn others . `` I suffer from tinnitus , '' says Plan B on actionhearingloss.org . `` When I first developed it , I thought it was trains rushing by my house as I live near a railway line . It was really loud and an extremely high pitched ringing in my ears . I now have to wear special earplugs when I go to bed to help stop my ears from ringing . '' `` Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you do n't think about until there 's a problem , '' says Martin . `` I 've had tinnitus for about 10 years , and since I started protecting my ears , it has n't got any worse ( touch wood ) . But I wish I 'd thought about it earlier . '' When it comes to personal listening devices , the level of damage you can cause to your ears is directly correlated to how long you listen and how loud the sound . `` Unsafe levels of sounds can be , for example , exposure to in excess of 85dB for eight hours or 100dB for 15 minutes , '' says WHO . Eighty-five decibels is n't all that loud . According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation , it 's about the level of city traffic that you 'd heard from inside your car . Some 360 million of us have already suffered moderate to severe hearing loss , according to the UN Health Agency Worldwide . While that number does include factors out of our control , such as aging , genetics , birth defects , infections and disease , about half of all cases were avoidable . That 's why WHO has launched the Make Listening Safe initiative . Part of the campaign is to encourage manufacturers to create audio safety features on devices and then educate consumers on how to use them . WHO is also calling on governments to create and enforce recreational noise legislation . `` Parents , teachers and physicians can educate young people about safe listening , while managers of entertainment venues can respect the safe noise levels set by their respective venues , use sound limiters and offer earplugs and 'chill out ' rooms to patrons , '' says WHO . In the end , it 's up to each of us to protect our own hearing . The good news is that it 's easy to do . When it comes to your personal audio devices , such as your smartphone : . -- Turn the volume down . Do n't go above 60 % . -- Wear noise canceling earbuds , or better yet , headphones . -- Take `` listening breaks '' or only listen for just an hour a day . -- Get an app for that . Download a smartphone app to help monitor safe listening levels . And the next time you go to a bar , nightclub , sports event or concert , use ear protection . Martin does . `` Now we always use moulded filter plugs , or in-ear monitors , to try and protect our ears , '' says Martin . And his kids never go to a concert without big , noise-canceling headphones .
above 60 % of those studied listen to unsafe sound levels on personal audio devices . Damaging levels of noise also come from spending time in loud bars or sporting events . Coldplay 's Chris Martin and rapper Plan B wish they 'd protected their ears .