Are wireless headphones harmful?

Whether you're at the gym, taking a walk, or on a phone call, you've probably used wireless earbuds at one point or another.

When they came out years ago, just about everyone ditched the wired version for wireless, but these days, some claim the Bluetooth devices can be damaging to your health or can even be hacked.

In this week's question, we asked: "Are wireless earbuds harmful?"

"No scientific evidence"

On TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, videos are surfacing with a focus on wireless earbuds and some users claiming they can emit dangerous radiation. 

In a world where everyone seems to throw things out there even without evidence to back it up, it makes us wonder whether wireless earbuds are actually harmful.

WJZ Anchor Rick Ritter spoke with Dr. Adam Kaufman, an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, about health concerns with wireless earbuds.

Rick Ritter: "For people out there who think wireless earbuds could be linked to cancer, that's simply not true?"

Dr. Adam Kaufman: "There's no scientific evidence of that whatsoever.

"That's the major distinction here. X-rays, and things like that, damage DNA and cause significant issues, like cancer, but the non-ionizing radiation, like microwaves, cellphones, Bluetooth, they can't."

"To reaffirm that, while earbuds and Bluetooth devices are 'new,'  cellphones are not, and the amount of electromagnetic radiation and exposure from cellphones are specifically higher, and there's never been any evidence that cellphone use is linked to any form of cancer."

Ritter: "We've seen so many of these videos pop up on social media about wireless earphones or wired, even though the concerns might be misguided, the fact that this is being talked about is actually a good thing?"

Kaufman: "Absolutely. With people using things in their ears more and more, they are more cognizant of the impact they have on their ear structure. We only have one set of ears for our life, and you don't get replacements."

Other health concerns with earbuds

While radiation is not a valid concern, Dr. Kaufman said listening at loud volumes can lead to irreparable damage. 

Plus, there's more:

Ritter: "One of the big concerns is how long people wear these daily. Why is that?"

Kaufman: "Sound is a pressure wave. The way it works, the sound comes in and vibrates the structures inside your ear, and it is a physical process occurring before your brain interprets what those vibrations mean, and that's something that can wear and tear and degrade over time."

"Loud noises cause more trauma to the ear, and in a small, confined space and for an extended period of time, at loud volumes, can really lead to damage that's irreparable."

Switch to wired for security reasons

But questions swirl beyond the health scope. More and more star athletes in the limelight are seen using wired headphones now, and many are taking notice.

"Oh my gosh, everybody is talking about it right now," said Lauren Link, who is with Syspoint, a cybersecurity and IT company. "Everyone cared so deeply about the wireless earbuds, and then all of a sudden, within the past two years, everybody's wearing wired."

Link said, "I think, security-wise, a lot of people are moving to the wired because Bluetooth works in a way that's the same as Wi-Fi and 5G that we use on our phones. It's those radio signals in the air that none of us can see, and people think that they're easy to intercept but in reality, it is not the technology of Bluetooth; it is actually, in most cases, down to the device's fault or users fault. People tend to get very scared about, 'Oh, this person's going to hijack into my wireless earbuds and steal my data and listen to my phone calls or read my text messages,' but that situation is actually very difficult to happen."

Link said it's not impossible. Many of Syspoint's clients are government contractors with higher types of clearances.

"We always recommend to use the wired because of the slight risk, there is a risk but it is slight," Link said. "It's just safer, 10 times out of 10, to use those wired headphones when you're having confidential and sensitive information and you're talking about that stuff. It's just the safest route to go these days."

Tips to avoid ear damage

Whether it's just a fashion statement, a bit of nostalgia, battery life or even just playing it safe, everyone has their own reasons to use wireless headphones. But they should know, you can listen at ease.

There are some tips though to help with avoiding any damage to your ears.

Dr. Kaufman recommends watching your volume. He said that if you take your headphones off, you shouldn't be able to hear the music or sounds coming out of them. That's an indicator that the volume is too loud for listening.

Link said to follow what she calls "technology hygiene." She said to always update your Bluetooth devices when possible, instead of hitting ignore or later, to keep you up to date with the safest protections.

Link said to get into the habit of turning off your Bluetooth devices when not using them and disconnecting from others that you no longer use, like a rental car or Bluetooth speaker.