Maluma Pauses Concert to Scold Mother in Viral Moment — Here’s Why He Was Right
Colombian singer Maluma performs during the Coca-Cola Flow music festival in Mexico City, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Alejandro Godinez)
When artists go viral, it’s usually because of their music or because of something about their personal life. Maluma, however, just went viral for a very different reason: scolding a mother for bringing a baby to his concert. And the thing is, he’s right.
The incident occurred during the singer’s Mexico City concert, as part of his +Pretty +Dirty World Tour. He stopped the concert and addressed the mother. “With all due respect… how old are they?” Maluma asked in Spanish.”A year old? Less? A year.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to bring a 1-year-old baby to a concert where the decibels are this f—— high?” he asked. “Where the sound is this loud? That baby doesn’t even know what it’s doing here.”
“Next time, protect their ears or something. For real. It’s heavy. It’s your responsibility. You’re waving them around like they’re a toy. That baby doesn’t want to be there, for real. I’m telling you with all love and respect, now that I’m a father… would never bring them to a concert. For the next time, be a bit more aware.”
The singer is right on the money, for experts agree.
Author Sophie J. Balk, MD, FAAP, past chair of the Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change explains that, “Children have smaller ear canals than adults, which intensifies higher frequency sounds. And the concern is not only with volume, but how long and how often children are exposed to noise.” Not just that, she added, “It’s very important to prevent harmful noise exposures starting early in a child’s life.”
A concert, at around 112dBA, is considered extremely loud and dangerous to hearing; with the recommendation being to wear earplugs or earmuffs, and that’s for adults. To give further perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a total of 40 hours of weekly exposure to volume levels no higher than 80 dB for adults and 75db for children on personal listening devices.
Furthermore, WHO studies confirm that hearing loss can have profound and negative effects on speech, language comprehension, communication, classroom learning, and social development.
Noise affects people of all ages. But children may not recognize harmful noise exposures. That’s why professors like Richard Neitzel, from the University of Michigan Department of Environmental Health Services, recommend caregivers avoid concerts or use hearing protection such as protective earmuffs.
To learn more about various protective earmuffs for your little one, The Bump has you covered.