By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Writer
Whether they’re completing a challenging school assignment or challenging friends in an all-out Fortnite battle, it’s a common occurrence these days for parents to see their kids with headphones over their ears.
ONANOFF, a company that specializes in safe audio headphones for kids aged 9 and under, launched a new headphone, the Play+ in July. The Play+ offers a design makeover and new features including functions better suited to the increasing array of uses kids have today, from gaming to homeschooling.
The company wanted “mini reviewers” to put their product through the paces. The Sacramento OBSERVER asked 7-year-old Solomon D. Reedus to try them out over the summer.
Q. What did you use the headphones for?
A. My Playstation PS4.
Q: How often did you use them?
A. About once a week
Q. Did you like the sound when you used the headphones?
A. Yes, the headphones sound good and clear
Q. Did they fit well?
A. Yes, they do fit well. (They are) comfortable.
Q. What did you think of the stickers that came with them?
A. They are really cool and I put them on right away.
Q. Overall, what did you think of the headphones?
A. I like the headphones, the color, and the quality. I put them back in the box after I use them so I won’t break them or lose them.
The new headphones are an upgrade to ONANOFF’s best-selling BuddyPhone line. Solomon chose the SunYellow color.
“As technology becomes integral to more aspects of children’s lives and at increasingly younger ages, the need for safe audio products is even more critical than it was a decade ago when we launched our first headphones,” said ONANOFF founder and CEO Petur Olafsson.
“With children now using technology for education as well as entertainment, we upgraded our BuddyPhones series to provide a new level of protection for children’s hearing. Now parents can relax and know that when it’s time for their kids to participate in a virtual lesson or watch videos that their hearing is protected.”
While adults are aware of the risk of damaging their hearing, kids often don’t understand the long-term impact of turning the volume up on their devices. The CDC estimates 12.5% of children and adolescents aged 6–19 years have suffered permanent damage to their hearing as a result of earphones and devices turned to a high volume. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, on average, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend four to six hours a day watching or using screens, posing a risk to hearing if not closely managed.
For more information, visit buddyphones.com or onanoff.com