What Impact Do iPods Have on Teenagers?

My Music, Right Now

The biggest impact iPods have on a teenager is the changes it has made to the act of finding, buying and selling music. Because of the iPod, teenagers will probably never have to hunt through record stores to discover obscure music by less-than-well-known artists. Whether they buy it or rip it or stream it from online music sites like Pandora, teens have virtually instantaneous, unlimited access to the music they want via the Internet.

Teens use their iPods for more than just music. Newer, high-end iPod Touches can play videos and games, read e-books, run applications, surf the Internet and send and receive email, text messages and social networking messages. Even less advanced iPods have extended functionality like voice recording, notes, calendars and contacts. More ambitious students have access to a wide variety of podcasts and college-level lectures in iTunes, as well as research materials from online encyclopedias and databases.

Music can be a personal thing, and there have been suggestions that iPods and similar devices contribute to antisocial behavior in teenagers. However, some experts are now wondering if the very nature of children's friendships are being altered by the technology they use.

The number of teenagers suffering from slight and mild hearing loss has increased in the past decade, to 1 teen in 5. This can't be blamed on the iPod, of course, but according to a Time magazine expert, listening to music through headphones or earphones poses an increased risk of permanent hearing loss with as little as five minutes of exposure per day to music at full volume.