The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report to show that listening to loud music causes damaging effects to ears. The report has warned that more than a billion teens and young adults are at risk of losing their hearing ability because of listening to too loud music or noise not only from headphones but also from bars, nightclubs and concerts.

"In the past, we limited ourselves because we weren't around our cell phones 24/7. We didn't have them, you would use landlines. You wouldn't go places and listen to your iPod", said Dr. Amber Lim Coronado with UR Medicine.

Coronado said many iPod users listen to them at around 80 decibels. This is fine if you are listening to it for a few minutes, but listening at such intensity for an extended period of time is dangerous for their ears. Parents should pay heed to this warning and keep a watch on kids who are always plugged in.

Decibel meter should be used as it is a brilliant tool to keep track of noise levels. A good decibel meter required you to shell out a hundred dollars about 10 years ago, but now it's as simple as finding an app on your phone.

The WHO analyzed listening habits of 12- to 35-year-olds in wealthier countries around the world. It found that nearly 50% of them were listening to music at unsafe sound levels on personal audio devices. About 40% of the participants were exposed to damaging levels of music and noise at entertainment venues.

The WHO has clearly said that exposure to noise level of 100 dB is dangerous for your ears if it is listened for more than 15 minutes. The agency also revealed that some 360 million people have already suffered moderate to severe hearing loss.