Did you have any toys that were so loud your parents hid them from you? According to ASHA.org, some kids’ toys with sirens or squeaks can be extremely loud, reaching up to 85 dB (decibels). To put this into context, 85 decibels is equivalent to hearing an 18-wheeler or traffic in your living room.

In a random survey of 62 people, they were asked, ‘How many decibels do you think it takes to damage someone’s hearing: 57 or 120?’ Out of 62 respondents, 12 said 57 dB, while 50 said 120 dB. The correct answer is 120 dB, which can instantly damage one’s hearing. Interestingly, most teens and pre-teens listen to music at over 72 dB, much louder than advisable.

“I had a pretty fun toy as a kid. It was a Rescue Heroes truck, and it was on the loud side from what I remember. Rescue Heroes was a popular show back in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” said 26-year-old Gabriel Garcia.

But do parents actually care about the dB (decibel) meter? One parent did, and here’s what they had to say about it.

“It’s funny you ask because I just bought a dB meter and tested my son’s Leapfrog toy. It was around 90 dB! Safe to say, I took that thing away,” said 37-year-old Emerald Manson.

It’s reassuring to know that some parents do care about it. What about things they regret buying their children?

“I would say that Furby or whatever that creepy toy was called is loud. That toy would always scare the crap out of me at night because it was so loud! I really regret getting it for my daughter sometimes,” said 46-year-old Jann Wells.

I couldn’t agree more. According to some people, their parents wouldn’t tolerate anything too loud.

“My mom actually took away my sister’s iPad because she would always have it on full volume,” said 14-year-old Katy Gonzalez.

It’s not always technology that can be overly loud; sometimes, it’s what is usually expected to be loud.

“I had a toy RC car for not even a month before my dad found out that it reached an ungodly rank on the dB chart. I really miss it,” said Alexander Garcia.