PITTSBURGH -- Constant music in your ear has become a must-have for adults and teens, but now kids as young as 8 are using iPods and MP3 players.

Studies on the potential affects of loud music on hearing loss have primarily focused on adults.

So how loud is too loud , and what's the safest level for kids 8 through 12?

Dr. Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at UPMC said , "Certainly these devices have potential to damage hearing. They can be set that loud."

In fact, they can register more than 115 decibels.

That's about the equivalent of an ambulance siren.

Channel 11 teamed up with UPMC to see just how loud some kids are playing their iPods and MP3 players.

Using a device that has a simulated ear and decibel meter, Channel 11 reporter Stacia Erdos and Palmer went to a local pool to check out music levels.

Sisters Laura and Amanda Lopez listen to their music at very different volumes.

Laura is 22, and her music stayed below 90 decibels, which is extremely safe.

But 15-year-old Amanda likes to crank it up, and her level went up to 108 decibels.

According to Palmer, listening to music at that level for an hour is potentially damaging to her hearing.

Palmer said listening to an iPod is no different than listening to a stereo, but because you can take the devices anywhere iPod users tend to listen longer.

She also said if you turn it up high and listen to it a lot longer the chances of permanent damage goes up.

One way to tell if your child's iPod or MP3 player is to loud is if someone else can hear it at an arm's length.