The Best Kids Headphones Include These Safety Features

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We go to great lengths to protect our kids by carefully buckling them into car seats and putting helmets on their little heads for bike rides. Yet, while a child’s physical safety is always a priority, their hearing health can sometimes be an afterthought. We forget that young ears are still developing and can be more sensitive to loud noises. That’s why choosing headphones that are specifically made with kids in mind is crucial to their overall safety.

The best kids headphones aren’t just smaller versions of the headphones and earbuds you and I use every day. They’re designed with features that cap the audio at safe levels and are comfortable to wear for extended periods. As we continue our understanding of how noise affects our children, these safety features are essential to protecting their precious hearing while letting them enjoy their favorite music, movies, and games.

The Best Kids Headphones

• Best Overall: Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiet-Plus

• Best Budget: EarFun K2 Kids

• Best for Gaming: JLab JBuddies Play

• Best for Toddlers: Onanoff BuddyPhones Explore Plus

• Best for Older Kids: Puro Sound Labs JuniorJams Plus

• Best for Travel: Onanoff BuddyPhones Cosmos Plus

While volume-limiting features are a good step toward preventing noise-induced hearing loss, it’s not a fool-proof solution. As we’ll explain, prolonged exposure to audio of 80-85 decibels (dB) and above can still damage a child’s hearing over time. It’s also important to take a multi-pronged approach to headphone use by monitoring listening time and encouraging regular listening breaks. Below are the best kids headphones that cater to different ages, prioritizing features like comfort, durability, and, of course, hearing safety.

What to Consider

We’ve been testing and reviewing audio gear for years, but the criteria we use to pick our favorite Bluetooth speakers or noise-canceling headphones don’t directly apply when searching for the best headphones for kids. While sound quality is still important, safety features like a volume limiter and comfortable fit are the main priorities. Comfort, durability, and price are other factors to look out for when choosing the best headphones for kids.

Hearing protection

Loud noises can damage a child’s hearing over time, even if they seem fine now. That’s why it’s important to get headphones that offer a volume-limiting feature, which can prevent kids from raising the volume beyond a dangerous level. Manufacturers use a few different methods to restrict the maximum volume output, including a component within the headphones that helps reduce the strength of the incoming sound. By choosing headphones with this safety feature, you can protect your child’s hearing in the long run.

Most headphones for kids feature a maximum volume limit of 85 dB, but fair warning: Damage to hearing is still possible after prolonged exposure to 80-85 dB, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), so it’s important for kids to take frequent breaks if they listen with the volume all the way up. Noises of 70 dB or below are considered safe for children for any duration of time. Still, we recommend airing on the side of caution when it comes to hearing, so encourage your kids to listen at lower volumes and take frequent breaks.

Durability and comfort

Whether they’re a toddler or pre-teen, children aren’t exactly delicate with their belongings. (I know, huge shock.) With that in mind, the best headphones for kids should be durable. That means they should be well-constructed to withstand accidental drops and bumps by featuring a reinforced headband, a metal or thick plastic construction, and a strong cable. Braided nylon is ideal for resistance to tangles, pulling, and fraying.

Kids also deserve comfortable headphones. Their ears are still developing and can be sensitive to pressure. Look for headphones with soft ear cups made from materials like memory foam, which can mold to the shape of a child’s head and evenly distribute pressure. The headphones should also be lightweight — you wouldn’t wear headphones that weigh down your head, so your kids shouldn’t, either.

Simple controls

Simplicity is another key feature. Rather than including a bunch of buttons and touch-sensitive surfaces, the best kid headphones should have easy-to-use controls, like large, clearly marked buttons for volume and play/pause. This allows them to independently operate the headphones without constant assistance. Plus, it keeps them focused on enjoying their audio without getting sidetracked and frustrated by figuring out complicated controls.

Other features

Once you assess your options based on the features above, there are other factors to consider, including whether or not the headphones are wireless and if there’s a built-in microphone. Wireless headphones are great because they offer more freedom of movement. And if you have multiple kids — or are buying for multiple nieces or nephews — look for a daisy-chaining feature, which will allow them to watch together on a single phone or tablet.

Finally, consider what the headphones look like. Kids are more likely to wear headphones they find appealing. That’s why many options out there come in various bright colors or have stickers to personalize what they look like. Choosing a pair kids love can encourage them to use the headphones in a responsible way.

How We Selected

When curating this list, we tapped into the coverage from our audio experts here at Best Products. As I said, the features we look for in headphones for kids aren’t the same as the best headphones for adults — the priority is safety and comfort as opposed to audio. Still, the information from previous reviews and roundups provided me with a good foundation of what features to consider. I vetted each product based on hearing protection features, durability and comfort, and ease of use.

For information on the impact of noise-induced hearing loss, I consulted reliable sources like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the CDC. Meanwhile, I analyzed expert reviews from around the industry. This process ensured our list features the safest, most durable headphones options for kids of all ages.

PuroQuiet Plus

Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiet-Plus offers the best balance of features that kids (and their parents) crave: excellent sound quality, easy-to-use controls, an adjustable headband, and a durable build. Plus, they have active noise cancelation (ANC), allowing kids to block out noisy environments.

While noise cancellation isn’t a must-have feature for kids, it’s worth the investment if they're frequently exposed to loud environments such as city traffic or loud siblings who like to cause a ruckus during homework time. Puro Sound Labs claims the headphones can cut daily noise by 22 dB.

The PuroQuiet-Plus supports Bluetooth and wired modes, and the included cable has a single-button remote and microphone which is simple to use.

The Bluetooth connection offers a 30-foot range, while the headphones offer a built-in microphone for online learning. Meanwhile, users can daisy-chain several pairs of PuroQuiet-Plus headphones, allowing multiple kids to listen to the same source. Think about how quiet upcoming road trips will be when they're all in the back watching the same movie.

The headphones are rated for 35 hours of non-ANC playback (23 hours with ANC), giving kids plenty of battery life for trips and everyday listening.

For a more affordable alternative without ANC, check out the Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Plus. These headphones offer many of the same features as our top pick, as well as interchangeable ear cups (battery life is about 15 hours less, though).

Related: 10 Best Noise-Canceling Headphones Perfect for Rocking Out in Quiet Bliss

K2 Kids

The EarFun K2 Kids headphones are impressive for their comfortable design, ability to fold when traveling, and extensive headband adjustability to fit heads of all sizes.

They offer up to 40 hours of battery life, so kids can listen to their favorite music for days before needing to recharge. While the EarFun K2 doesn’t offer ANC, the over-ear design helps passively reduce surrounding noise. All of these features are available at a very affordable price, making them an easy choice for our budget pick.

Unlike the PuroQuiet-Plus, the EarFun K2 has two volume-limiting modes (85 dB and 94 dB). Our only issue with these headphones is the fact that the 94 dB mode is too easy to access for curious kids (simultaneously holding the plus and minus buttons). As we mentioned, noise levels above 85 dB can be harmful to one’s hearing, so parents may need to check the volume every time the headphones are turned on.

Other features include a built-in microphone and a USB-C port for charging.

More: The 7 Best Sleep Headphones According to Extensive Testing by a Guy Who Sleeps to White Noise Each Night

JBuddies Play

Most of the best headphones for kids feature a microphone built into one of the earcups. The JLab JBuddies Play takes it a step further with a retractable boom mic. This design allows kids to extend the microphone closer to their mouth for improved voice clarity during online learning or when gaming. They can then retract the microphone back into the earcup, which will still work in that position. It’s a clever design that’s present in some high-end gaming headphones.

Like other headphones on this list, the JLab JBuddies Play supports Bluetooth and wired modes, with up to 22 hours of battery life for wireless use. There is a quick mute button on the same earcup as the retractable microphone, so you can easily silence yourself if necessary.

BuddyPhones Explore Plus

As any parent of a toddler knows, little ones can be particular about what they wear and what they like. Finding a pair of headphones they’ll tolerate, let alone happily wear, can be a test of patience. But the BuddyPhones Explore Plus offers enough variety to (hopefully) satisfy their very opinionated personalities.

These headphones are available in four colors and also come with decorative stickers, allowing your child to personalize their headphones.

In addition to a very appealing foldable design for toddlers, the BuddyPhones Explore Plus includes other features we look for in the best headphones for kids, such as a volume limiter and a comfortable design.

The headphones don’t support Bluetooth but instead feature a detachable cable with a built-in microphone. The cable also includes a built-in audio splitter, allowing kids to daisy-chain up to four headphones together — perfect for sharing the listening experience during movie night.

More: The 20 Best Sensory Toys for Toddlers, According to Experts

JuniorJams Plus

The sleek, more grown-up styling of the Puro Sound Labs JuniorJams Plus makes them an excellent choice for older kids. These headphones ditch the cutesy characters and bright colors for a more sophisticated design. But don’t worry, they still prioritize hearing protection with built-in volume limiting.

The JuniorJams Plus offers up to 22 hours of battery and features soft vegan leather over the earcups and headband. The built-in mic allows kids to use the headphones for calls.

They can also fold down, making them easier to transport to and from school. Like many other options on this list, the JuniorJams supports daisy chaining, so kids and their friends can listen to Taylor Swift together.

BuddyPhones Cosmos Plus

Traveling by plane, train, or automobile can be noisy. The Onanoff BuddyPhone Cosmos Plus helps combat this with a combination of features like an over-ear design for passive noise isolation and active noise-cancellation technology to reduce ambient noise even further. The headphones can also fold to easily fit in a bag, making them an excellent choice for keeping kids entertained on the road.

In addition to a travel-friendly design, the BuddyPhones Cosmos Plus has a detachable boom microphone, ideal for communicating during virtual classes.

A handy “study mode” further enhances this functionality by filtering background noise and isolating voices in online classrooms. When playtime resumes, simply detach the microphone for a more streamlined look.

With a 24-hour battery life, these headphones can easily last a long car ride or flight without needing a recharge. There are also three safe audio limits, including a 75 dB toddler mode.

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