Feb 25, 2022

Best Kid's Headphones of 2022 - CNN

Headphones for Kids?

Kid's headphones are essential parts of children's lives nowadays, whether required for school, long car rides, airplane travel, or aid family peace and quiet. But, if you're shopping, you may be wondering how to strike a balance between hearing safety, fit, and style.

What Are The Best Kid's Headphones Today?

CNN asked itself this question and figured out a way to come to a conclusion. They asked 13 kids between 2 and 12 years old to test 22 pairs at home, school, and on a plane, train, and car trips.

The kids were asked to try to set up Bluetooth connections on the headphones independently without their parent's help to evaluate the ease of setup. They asked them to consider were quality of construction, comfort, sound, and call quality. Range of sizing and suitability for wear by various age groups was important among many other things CNN considered.

Along with the kids, CNN consulted with an audiologist and checked out each pair for themselves. They found four headphones that should keep your kids happy, comfortable, and safe in the end.

Kid's Headphones That Stood Out

BuddyPhones were awarded two titles: "Best kids headphones with microphone" and "Best headphones for toddlers and younger kids." Both are deserving awards for two of our most popular headphones.

Best kids headphones with microphone

BuddyPhones School+ Wireless swept up this award for its comfort, durability, functionality, and ease of setup. Testers said they "like the thick — and soft — headband and that the foam is cushy against our ears."

They have 20-hour battery life. A voice enhancing StudyMode to increase vocal clarity, making it easier for students to hear lectures or narration and 3 different volume limiting levels — 75dB, 85dB, and 94dB.

School+ Wireless has both a built-in microphone and a detachable boom mic. The kids tested them on a video call, and while they heard each other with the built-in mic, they heard each other even better with the boom mic.

Best headphones for toddlers and younger kids

Our wired-only BuddyPhones Explore+ headphones received this award. They're comfortable, safe, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. They come in 6 different colors with 4 stickers each which the kids said they loved and might have a hard time picking one favorite.

Explore+ is simple in use, only offering a wired option and one volume limiting setting that keeps levels capped at 85 dB. It features a jack that lets you daisy chain up to four pairs together, so multiple kids can listen to content from a single device. The kids enjoyed sharing their shows and were able to set up sharing by themselves. The cord is detachable and has a large play/pause button.

Conclusion

Children today use headphones more every year, so we must stay informed of the threats that come with today's remarkable technology. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is one of those threats, and unfortunately, NIHL is irreversible. However, with awareness and caution, it is preventable.

Volume limiting headphones like BuddyPhones are an excellent start in protecting your children's hearing and allow parents to worry about one less thing. You can find more ways to prevent NIHL in our blog "6 Ways To Protect Your Kid's Hearing."