Streaming with Hearing Aids for Adolescents Who Are Hard of Hearing

The purpose of the current study is to characterize hearing aid streaming in a group of adolescent hearing aid users.

Streaming via Bluetooth technology has been broadly adopted in devices such as hearing aids, for both children and adults; however, most research on the applications and benefits of streaming has only been conducted with adults who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). We have a limited knowledge base on how streaming impacts hearing aid use during adolescence or how adolescents who are DHH use streaming with their hearing aids.

The results of this prospective research study indicate that adolescents with streaming used their hearing aids more often than peers without streaming, averaging over two additional hours of daily use. Streaming music and videos were the most common situations in which adolescents reported using connectivity, while tracking hearing aid use and using a phone app to troubleshoot hearing aid problems were the least common. While adolescents experienced some technical challenges with streaming, such as connectivity issues, reduced battery life, and compatibility with a limited number of devices, their overall perception of streaming through their hearing aids was extremely positive.