Making listening safe
Over one billion people are at risk of hearing damage due to unsafe recreational listening practices. To combat these risks WHO created the Make Listening Safe initiative in 2015.
“Make listening safe” aims to realize a world where people of all ages can enjoy recreational listening without risk to their hearing.
The approach of this initiative is to change listening practices and behaviours. WHO aims to achieve this through:
- raised awareness about the need for and means of safe listening, and
- implementation of evidence-based standards that can facilitate behaviour change in target population groups.
The Make Listening Safe mission is performed via three main pillars, developed and carried out through in collaboration with all stakeholders in the field.
Creation of evidence-based standards
WHO creates standards that outline safe listening features for a variety of situations where unsafe practices are common. These include:
- the WHO-ITU Global standard for safe listening devices and systems
- the Global standard for safe listening venues and events
- WHO offers support to its Member States, private sector entities, and civil society in adoption and implementation of these standards.
Increasing awareness
WHO develops and disseminates evidence-based awareness materials for safe listening. These include:
- Be he@lthy, be mobile – a handbook on how to implement mSafeListening
- mSafeListening message libraries
- Media brief on safe listening
- Communication materials such as flyers, posters, brochures, infographic
Investing in research
Research into safe listening is performed in collaboration with our global partners to better understand the current state of affairs, to ensure WHO leverages current best practices around the globe, and to uncover future need of safe listening interventions.
