The European Commission has called for a maximum volume limit to be placed on all MP3 players, including the iPod, to protect the hearing of young listeners.
Apple’s iPod already has a controversially low volume limit but if it the EU succeeds all portable music players sold in Europe will be obliged to follow suit.
The action follows a report from last year which stated that up to 10 million people in Europe could suffer permanent hearing damage as a result of listening to loud music for extended periods.
The EU is suggesting that the default maximum volume should be 85 decibels, which some critics argue would not necessarily be enough to block out loud ambient noise such as traffic or roadworks.
Conservative MEP Martin Callanan who sits on the European Parliament’s Environment Public Health and Food Safety Committee, said: “Kids have always listened to their music loud and this is not going to stop them. You have to educate them to the risks but ultimately you have to allow personal responsibility and personal choice”.
A two-month consultation process on the matter begins next month with a final decision expected sometime in the spring.