Kingston students will be forced to keep the noise down when the EU sets a maximum volume limit on all MP3 players next spring.

However, many students believe that such legislation would unfairly restrict their freedom to listen to the music they enjoy.

Ahmed Khan, a civil engineering student, said: “I don’t believe in boxing people off and limiting behaviour - I think we’re educated enough to know what’s harmful.”

Brussels is acting after mounting evidence that more and more young people are permanently damaging their hearing by regularly exposing themselves to loud music.

Experts hope to set a default maximum setting of 85 decibels on all MP3 players, about the same level of noise as a busy city street, though users would be able to override this to reach a top limit of 100 decibels - equivalent to a bulldozer groaning by. Many devices can currently reach up to 120 decibels, a volume comparable to a jumbo jet taking off, and there is currently no default limit.

The legislation might however help to protect some KU students who are already aware of the dangers posed by their listening habits pose yet find it hard to remember to change their ways.  

Chris Fernandez, a second year Music, Technology and Film student, approves of the planned limits: "I listen to my music pretty loud - my mum always complains. It's not good for my ears."

Many young people are unaware that the ringing they hear in their ears after a bit night out can herald a long-term problem.

Dr Robin Yeoh, a consultant at the Portland Hospital, told the BBC Politics Show: “Once you damage the nerves of your inner ear that’s permanent, there’s no medication, no surgery, no therapies that’s going to reverse it.”

Though most students are reluctant to wear earplugs when out at gigs or clubbing, frequent exposure to loud noise at such events can damage hearing irrevocably.

A spokesperson for The Royal National Institute for Deaf People told RiverOnline: “The danger lies in sustained exposure over a long period of time.”