BOSTON -- Rock music helped define the Baby Boomer generation, but years of loud concerts have also caused many Boomers to lose their hearing at an early age.

Boston television station WCVB reported that some experts say the iPod generation may be hearing the sounds of silence even earlier than their parents.

When the members of the Lexington, Mass., band Tracy Strangelove aren't rocking out on their instruments, they're listening to rock music on their digital music players.

"I listen to it on the bus ride home, when I'm walking around, sometimes between classes," band member Lucas Levy said.

The enormous popularity of digital music players has Boston Children's Hospital audiologist Dr. Brian Fligor concerned.

"More people have these systems. Now, given that there will be a larger number of people who choose to listen at high levels for long enough periods of time (this) can cause a problem," Fligor said.

What makes digital music players so popular also makes them more dangerous to your ears -- digital sound that doesn't distort when you turn it up, the station reported.

"I guess I'm listening to it like eight or nine-tenths of the way up, which probably isn't great, but that's what I like to do," band member Dan Garmon said.

With a digital music player, thousands of songs are right at your fingertips, which means there's no break for your ears. Over time, that can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that transmit sound to the brain. But the damage isn't seen and won't really be felt for years.

"It didn't even occur to me that it would be harmful," Lucas said.

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics found 61 percent of teens said they had experienced ringing in their ears or other hearing problems. Only 14 percent said they used ear protection.

Fligor recommends you keep your listening level to 80 decibels or less -- on a one to 10 scale, that's about a six. Anything above that -- limit your time listening to avoid damage.

"I'm not saying don't use these. You know what? I love mine. I listen to mine, and I personally enjoy listening to it kind of loud, but I also know how long I can listen to it when I am listening at louder levels," Fligor said.

As for the in-ear headphones made so popular by the Apple iPod, Fligor said that they don't damage your hearing any more than the kind that rest on top of your ears. Loudness and length of listening time are what matter -- whether you're listening to Mozart or Metallica.