WTSA-24 Side Event: Changing the narrative: Applying mobile technologies for safe listening and hearing preservation

WTSA-24 Side Event: Changing the narrative: Applying mobile technologies for safe listening and hearing preservation

Introduction

It is estimated that more than one billion young people worldwide are at risk of preventable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. In response to this growing public health concern, WHO launched the Make Listening Safe initiative in 2015, with the aim of preventing hearing loss through hearing preservation.

In response to this public health concern, ITU and WHO have launched a joint working project to develop global guidelines for safe listening in devices (ITU-T H.870), in public places, and for safe listening in video games and e-sports. The WHO-ITU standard for safe listening devices and systems was approved in 2019 (ITU-T H.870 “Guidelines for personal audio systems for safe listening”) and updated in 2022. It provides recommendations for safe listening features in smartphones, headphones and other devices with music playback capabilities. This standard has received wide acceptance worldwide and major smartphone manufacturers have incorporated its recommendations into their systems. Discussions are underway within other standards bodies such as the International Electronics Commission (IEC) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) to harmonize their current guidelines to align with this standard.

Currently, WHO and ITU are jointly developing guidelines for video game hardware and software manufacturers on the safe listening features of these popular technologies.

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) is being held in New Delhi, India, this year, and will be accompanied by the Mobile Congress of India.

Bringing together governments, health professionals, academia and industry to discuss how ICTs can contribute to making listening safe. This event provides a unique opportunity for WHO and ITU to showcase and promote their safe listening standards to support their implementation in the growing mobile technology sector. To capitalize on this opportunity, ITU and WHO are jointly organizing collaborative activities to:

Showcase WHO’s leadership in health and the application of technology in public health initiatives.

Strengthen WHO-ITU collaboration and raise awareness of the role of technology and standards in combating noncommunicable diseases and sensory (vision and hearing) disabilities.

To encourage the telecommunications sector to effectively use its technologies to promote health and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.

To promote the implementation of the global standard for safe listening by stakeholders in the telecommunications technology and standardization sectors.

Target audience

Representatives of Indian mobile operators and manufacturers, healthcare professionals, policy makers, mobile telecom operators, device manufacturers, video game and e-sports hardware and software developers, as well as consumers of music and video games products and the general public interested in health and safety standards related to audio devices.

Registration

Registration is mandatory. WTSA-24 delegates registered for the WTSA main event can access the venue and do not need to register separately. Other participants must request a registration code by filling out this online form.

Organized by: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Co-organized by: World Health Organization (WHO)

Venue: Surya Room, Hall 5, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Date: 17 October 2024, 16:00 - 17:50 (IST)

Contact: [email protected]