Kids, even adults like to use them. iPods. But there are a lot of misconceptions about what these tiny gadgets can do to your ears.

“You might say to yourself, ‘well, if I, listening to something on an iPod and it’s not that loud, could it really cause damage to my hearing?’ It can if you listen to it for an extended length of time,” says Dr. James Newlon, an otolaryngologist on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.

In order to protect those ears, doctors say the iPods should never go over the halfway mark on the volume dial. And if it does, “if you listen to it at that volume for more than 15 minutes, it could cause you to have hearing damage,” warns Dr. Newlon.

He goes a step further. The length of time you plan to listen to your iPod should determine where you set the volume. “What I recommend to my patients is that they don’t listen to the iPod very loud, maybe halfway for short periods of time. Or if they plan on listening to it for an extended period of time, then keep the volume on the low end, like a level 3 out of 10,” Dr Newlon advises. Keep in mind, lower volume levels can still cause some hearing loss.

Doctors suggest you have your hearing checked every year to make sure you own decibels are at full strength.