More young people are presenting to audiology teams in England with difficulty processing sound.

Summary

Audiologists in England are investigating whether prolonged use of noise-cancelling headphones contributes to auditory processing disorder (APD), a condition where the brain struggles to interpret sounds.

Young people like Sophie, 25, experience difficulties distinguishing speech from background noise despite normal hearing tests. NHS audiology departments report rising referrals for sound-processing issues.

Experts suggest excessive headphone use may hinder brain development in filtering noise, though research is limited.

Calls for further studies grow as APD diagnosis and treatment remain scarce, particularly in adults outside educational settings.