Welcome to the 21st century's version of sitting too close to the TV:

All those ears ringing from newly gifted iPods and MP3 players may not be able to hear next year's Christmas bells as well if music lovers aren't careful, hearing specialists are warning.

"We're seeing the kind of hearing loss in younger people that's typically found in aging adults,'' said Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Press release journalism at its best. The quote, in particular, sounds exactly like what was being said when Walkman-style tape players became popular back in (good lord) the early 1980s. We all seem to have turned out just fine.

From my perspective, it's not getting kids to pull out their earbuds that's the problem, it's getting my parents to put in their damned hearing aids.