NEW WHO AND ITU Standard aims to prevent hearing loss among players

“Everyone can take steps today to ensure good hearing health throughout their lives,” said Dr. Jérôme Solomon, who is Assistant General Director, universal health covering, infectious and unprotected diseases. “The standard listening to WHO/ITU supports governments, manufacturers, civil society and other stakeholders to encourage environments for safe listening, so that people of all ages can protect their ears and hearing, and even when playing video games, they do not risk hearing loss.”

Video play and Esports quickly become one of the biggest entertainment industries around the world. About 3 billion people play video games on devices such as personal computers, video game consoles and mobile phones, but most devices and games do not have safe listening features to protect users from harmful noise. However, players risk permanent hearing loss from long -term exposure to loud sounds while playing or listening to music. Children are especially vulnerable because of lower sound tolerance and increasing interest in playing.

By providing information, warnings and features for safe listening, the new standard aims to inform video game players about the risk of hearing loss from hungry video play activities and raise awareness of how they can practice safe listening.

“As the video play and Esports continue to grow, and players use a wide range of devices to access their content, safe listening standards are vital to the protection of users, especially children, from sounds that they can harm their hearing,” said Seizizo one, Director of Telecommunications, International Telecommunication Union. “Creating effective technical standards requires cooperation that uses forces to each other. We are grateful to our partners who have improved safe listening for their insight and experience and have pleased to start this update on World Hearing Day. ”

The Who-ITU Global Standard on safe listening to video playing and Esports is designed to protect hearing for all types of video game players, in a wide range of scenarios and playing equipment. Standard provides separate guidelines for video playing devices (video game consoles, handmade or mobile devices and personal computers, headphones and headphones) and video game software.

For video playing devices, standard recommends:

For video playing software titles, the standard recommends:

The new standard was developed under the Initiative of WHO MAKe listening to security that seeks to improve listening practices, especially among young people, drawing on the latest evidence and consulting a series of stakeholders, including experts from WHO, government, industry, consumers and civil society.

ON World Health Organization

Dedicated by the health and well -being of all people and science, the World Health Organization leads and advocates with global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, a chance in a safe and healthy life. We are the UN Health Agency that connects nations, partners and people on the first lines at 150+ locations – which leads to the world to emergency in health, preventing the disease, solving the fundamental causes of health problems and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, protect the world and serve vulnerable.

About the international telecommunications union

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations for Information and Communication Technology (ICTS), launching innovation in ICTs together with 194 Member States and membership in more than 1000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations. Founded in 1865, the body was interconnected for coordinating the common global use of radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in allocation of satellite orbit, improvement of communication infrastructure in the world in development and establishing world standards that promote the flawless connection of huge range of communication systems. From broadband networks to top wireless technologies, airline and naval navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite tracking of the Earth, as well as converging of fixed mobile phones, internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is dedicated to connecting the world. Find out more: www.itu.int