What is the 60-60 rule for AirPods?

Most people don't think twice about leaving their AirPods in for an entire workday. Podcasts at breakfast, music during the commute, Zoom calls and so on. It adds up fast. While you may realize just how much time you spent with the earbuds on when they start asking to be recharged, what's harder to notice is that hearing damage can add up too.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion young people are at risk of permanent hearing loss due to recreational exposure to loud sounds. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that as many as 17 percent of teens already show signs of noise-induced hearing loss. Hearing loss from headphone use is a genuine public health concern.

And that's why the 60-60 rule exists, trying to prevent a whole generation of adults from replying to every single question with "huh?"