PARIS (WKRC) - A picture of a baby lying on the ground at a Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert went viral over the weekend.
The controversial snapshot was taken at the Eras Tour performance Friday night at La Défense Arena in Paris, France. The picture, which shows the child in the pit area beneath an individual, who is presumably a parent, was shared by Swifties across social media.
"The lack of common sense is astonishing to me," an X user wrote.
24-year-old Olivia Levin, who runs the popular Instagram account, Swifties for Eternity, spoke with USA Today after posting the image to the account.
"From what I’ve seen, mostly people were appalled by it," Levin told the publication.
Levin told USA Today that she took down her post because the child's face wasn't blurred out. She explained to the publication's reporters that she received messages from some individuals who defended the presumed parent's decision to bring the child to the concert.
"Sure, a few people in my comments and DMs said to me, 'You’re not a mother or parent and can’t understand what we do for our kids, it's my only opportunity to see a Taylor Swift concert.' Others said that they parent different in Europe, which was interesting. But most completely disagreed. It brings up an important conversation about how young is too young to be at a show," Levin told USA Today.
Levin told the publication that she has attended many Taylor Swift concerts, telling USA Today that, while she's seen young girls and toddlers, she's never seen a baby.
Rules for children attending shows can differ based on the venue, promotor and country in which they are being held. The La Défense Arena's website states that it “doesn’t recommend bringing children under the age of 4, even if accompanied, particularly due to the high volume." The venue also prohibits strollers, per the site.
The average sound levels at a concert can range from 100-120 decibels. Although the child in the picture appears to be wearing noise-reducing headphones, experts warn that harmful noise from infancy can cause an effect that can continue to build over a lifetime.
"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," Author and past chair of the Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change Sophie J. Balk told Healthy Children "It's very important to prevent harmful noise exposures starting early in a child's life."
When asked if noise-reducing earmuffs were a proper safeguard for a baby, Linda Dahl, a nose, ear and throat specialist at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital told USA Today that, while the earmuffs could reduce the noise by 30 decibels, she was "not a fan," as the average concert typically reaches over 100 decibels.
Dahl told the publication that if a baby must be exposed to loud noises, they should be given 20 minutes of quiet after 20 minutes of exposure.
Although there are risks involved, Lobe Magazine wrote that "more and more parents" are bringing babies to concerts. The publication said there is currently "no clear indications" against bringing a baby to a concert, but advised that parents do the following:
- Stay as far away from the speakers as possible.
- Use hearing protectors. Pick up a pair of earmuffs for children, ensuring that they are comfortable.
- Give your child’s ears time to recover between exposures. If you’re attending multiple concerts, we recommend taking a “sound break” between shows. Generally, sound breaks should last twice as long as the exposure to noise. For instance, if a show is two hours long, you should take four hours to recover.
The publication also recommended parents be especially careful with children who are taking medication that may harm their ears, such as ototoxic medications.
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