Hearing aids change. So are their users.

Ayla Wing’s high school students don’t always know what to think about their 26-year-old teacher’s hearing aids. The most common response she hears: “Oh, my grandma has them too.”

But Grandma’s hearing aids have never been like this: Bluetooth-enabled and connected to her phone, they allow Ms. Wing to switch between customized settings with one touch. She can shut out the world on a screeching subway ride, hear her friends in rowdy bars on a night out, and even understand her students better by switching to “mumbling kids.”

A large number of new hearing aids have entered the market in recent years, with greater appeal to a generation of young adults who, according to some experts, are both develop hearing problems at a young age and – perhaps paradoxically – become more comfortable with an expensive piece of technology pumping sound into their ears.

Some of the new models, including Ms. Wing’s, are made by traditional prescription brands, which usually require a visit to a specialist. But the Food and Drug Administration opened up the market last year when it allowed the sale of hearing aids over the counter. In response, brand names such as Sony and Jabra began releasing their own products, adding to the new wave of designs and features that appeal to young consumers.

“These new hearing aids are sexy,” said Pete Bilzerian, a 25-year-old in Richmond, Virginia, who has worn the devices since he was seven. He describes his early models as distinctly unsexy: “big, funky, brown-colored hearing aids with the molding that wraps around the ear.” But these have increasingly made way for slimmer, smaller models with more technological options.

These days, he said, no one seems to notice the electronics in his ear. “If it ever comes up as a topic, I just brush it off and say, ‘Hey, I have these very expensive AirPods.'”

More people in Mr. Bilzerian’s age group may need the equivalent of expensive AirPods, experts say. By the time they turn 30, about one-fifth of Americans are today damaged their hearing by noise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated. This number adds to it all substantial population of young people with hearing loss linked to genetics or medical conditions.

The exact number of young adults who need or use hearing aids is difficult to pinpoint, but device manufacturers and medical experts alike say the population is growing. Phonak, the leading manufacturer of prescription aids, says the number of Americans ages 22 to 54 fitted with the company’s hearing aids grew 14 percent more than the increase for users of all other ages between 2017 and 2021.

“Anecdotally, we’ve seen more young people seeking hearing protection over the last decade. This seems to be much more mainstream, which is great,” said Dr. Catherine V. Palmer, director of Audiology and Hearing Aids at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children’s Hospital.

Experts say there are several reasons why hearing aids are closing the generation gap. Attitudes have changed as technology has advanced, with more young people willing to give them a try. And a growing number of people in their 20s may need them as they navigate a world increasingly riddled with noise; according to the World Health Organization, more than one billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss from noise.

But there are still significant barriers: Hearing aids are expensive — especially for people who don’t have good medical insurance — and most cost $1,000 or more. And the options can be confusing and difficult to navigate; many models still need to be prescribed by an audiologist. And while the stigma is fading, it hasn’t completely disappeared.

Data collected in 1989 by MarkeTrak, a consumer research organization part of the Hearing Industries of America, suggested that people who wore hearing aids “were perceived as less competent, less attractive, less youthful, and more disabled.” Today, however, the organization said in a recent reporthearing aid users “rarely, if ever, feel embarrassed or rejected.”

While the emergence of over-the-counter hearing aids has opened up new possibilities, it has also made entering the market more complicated. There are dozens of brands to choose from, ranging from tiny in-ear pods to those that use long metal arches around the ear. Most new models have Bluetooth streaming capabilities. And some over-the-counter options can even be ordered online with free shipping.

Blake Cadwell created Healthya website where users can compare brands and prices of hearing aids after trying to navigate the complex market on their own.

“When I started the process, the main thing I experienced was that it’s hard to know where to start and how to start, just figuring out which way was up,” says Mr. Cadwell, 32, who lives in Los Angeles.

Even ordinary get a diagnosis for hearing loss can be difficult. People concerned about their hearing can start with an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and many are referred to audiologists or hearing clinics, where they undergo a combination of hearing tests, physical exams, or imaging.

Juliann Zhou, a 22-year-old international student at New York University, was motivated to get her ears checked after being disturbed by an intense ringing, which was diagnosed as tinnitus due to moderate hearing loss. Still, she’s not sold on hearing aids. An audiologist in the United States recommended them, but her parents and their family doctor in China told her they were “only for old people.”

“I just don’t know if it’s necessary,” she said.

Ms. Zhou says she “probably listened to music too loudly”, which caused her hearing problems. That’s an increasingly common concern, according to the Hearing Loss Association, which has called noise-induced hearing loss a growing public health crisis.

While no long-term data is available, the association estimates that 12.5 percent of Americans ages 6 to 19 experience hearing loss as a result of listening to loud music, particularly through earplugs at unsafe volumes.

For those who need them, the new wave of over-the-counter tools may be cheaper than many prescription models. That makes them a good first choice for more young people, says Zina Jawadi, 26, who has used hearing aids since she was four and is studying medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“This is one of the biggest things I’ve seen in this space in a very long time,” she said.

Ms. Wing, the high school teacher, said she decided to buy her new hearing aids just months before she turned 26 and would no longer have access to her parents’ health insurance. Otherwise, the $4,000 prescription hearing aids would have been prohibitively expensive, she said.

Ms. Wing was concerned about the durability and effectiveness of over-the-counter aids, compared to her prescription pair, which she expects to last at least five years.

“I also wear glasses, and I can’t just get reading glasses from CVS — I have to get them from the ophthalmologist,” she said. “It’s the same with my hearing aids.”

Ms Wing said she had many colleagues in their 40s and 50s who could probably benefit from hearing aids but are concerned about negative perceptions. She tries to dispel that.

“I tell everyone I know I have hearing aids,” said Ms. Wing, “so that the stigma lessens.”