- JBL Junior Free headphones launched for £69.99 (around $90 / AU$140)
- WHO recommended volume limit plus your own time and volume settings
- The open ear design means they can still hear what’s around them.
JBL has launched a new set of open-back headphones designed specifically for kids, the JBL Junior Free headphones. As you would expect, they are designed for smaller ears and also to protect those ears from sounds that are too loud.
The choice of open ears is deliberate: unlike over-ear and in-ear headphones, the JBL Junior Free headphones do not isolate the child from the world around him by obstructing his ear canal. This aspect is a big part of why adults often choose the best open-back headphones for running, as being more aware of what’s going on around you helps you stay safer, and kids often need help staying aware even in the best of times.
And of course, it means they can enjoy your music, your app’s soundtrack, or your video while still listening to you and your requests.
The headphones also include features designed to ensure that wearers do not accidentally damage their hearing.
JBL Junior Free headphones: key features and prices
As we’ve come to expect from kids’ headphones, the JBL Junior Free comes with a volume limiter (JBL calls it Safe Sound) that ensures the headphones don’t go above the World Health Organization’s 85 dB recommendation.
This is important, because sustained exposure to sounds above that level can cause hearing damage that cannot be reversed. The WHO says that at 80 dB, safe listening time is up to 40 hours per week, but at 90 dB it is reduced to just four.
JBL takes that idea further in these headphones by also allowing you to set time limits for their use, as well as your own custom volume limits, and get activity reports so you can see how long the headphones are being used and what volume they are listening to.
The Junior Free are lightweight with soft silicone materials, controls designed for smaller fingers, multipoint Bluetooth for two simultaneous device connections, and a flexible neckband that keeps them in place and is flexible enough to grow as they do, so they don’t become useless after a growth spurt.
Battery life is rated at 10 hours with a 10-minute quick charge offering three hours without a charge, and the earbuds are rated IPX4 for splash resistance. And as a nice touch, the packaging can be converted into a phone stand and comes with some decorative stickers to personalize the headphones.
The JBL Junior Free will be available in the UK and Europe from this November, in a choice of purple, teal or peach and with an RRP of £69.99 / €79.99 (around $90 / AU$140). US pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
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