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Original poster

Ways to soundproof a teenagers bedroom?

16 replies

Plingston · 16/04/2023 14:41

My 15 year old son has an exceptionally loud voice. He spends quite a lot of time in his room gaming and chatting with his friends while he's doing it. He sometimes shouts/screams and I have recently started to come down harder on that and tell him that if he does that, he'll be kicked off. But the problem is that his voice is incredibly loud even when he's not shouting. His laugh is extremely loud and piercing and I can hear him non-stop in every room of the house. He's always had a very loud voice and talks non-stop. I can't get away from the incessant noise and it's starting to really get to me. I can't exactly punish him for talking and laughing with his friends. Any ideas for deadening the sound?

OP posts:

Showerpowerer · 16/04/2023 14:43

I’m sure you can get some panelling that helps acoustically. shouldn’t be as expensive as adding in sound proofing. there some nice panelling that’s wooden affect they put in recording rooms

Soontobe60 · 16/04/2023 14:44

Easy, turn off the WiFi 🤣

BrokenWing · 16/04/2023 14:44

We have found this is the only solution. That and changing the wifi password if they don't tone it down.

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15 year olds

Aquamarine1029 · 16/04/2023 14:45

He needs to be taught how to conduct himself appropriately and to be considerate. Soundproofing is not the answer here. You need to lay down rules for what is acceptable behaviour inside the home and he needs to face consequences if he breaks those rules.

FeetOnly · 16/04/2023 14:51

Soundproofing is not the answer here. You need to lay down rules for what is acceptable behaviour inside the home and he needs to face consequences if he breaks those rules.

This.

And take him to get his hearing checked.

Original poster

Plingston · 16/04/2023 14:56

Thanks all, we have told him he will be kicked off for shouting or screaming but the issue is just his voice. That is unfortunately the way it seems to come out of his throat! It's not only an issue when he's on the pc so i don't think turning the WiFi off would be very effective. He talks at that volume all the time but it's easier to tolerate when I'm in conversation with him. I just don't want to hear him 24/7. It's also very husky and just carries through the house so much. His dad and his nan on his dad's side also have incredibly loud voices so I think it is something he can't help. I'm pretty sensitive to loud noises and he also talks quite fast and relentlessly at times so sometimes I feel really stressed and battered just by having a conversation with him. I used to describe it as being like a woodpecker drilling against my skull when he was younger, which sounds awful, but is quite accurate in how it makes me feel at times.

OP posts:

Aquamarine1029 · 16/04/2023 15:02

Your son can control the volume of his voice, he's just never been made to. The same with your husband and his mother. No one bothered to teach them to control their voice. Your son needs to learn proper manners before he's an adult because the rest of the world won't take kindly to being shouted at during a normal conversation.

Thanks all, we have told him he will be kicked off for shouting or screaming but the issue is just his voice.

Then why haven't you actually done it? Take away his gaming and I assure you, he will learn quickly.

BrokenWing · 16/04/2023 15:06

He will need to learn to adjust his volume for talking in different situations. I have a SIL who is loud, and the more excited she gets the louder she gets, but she can tone it down when required.

I would be insisting on an indoor voice at home all the time, whether talking to me or gaming. You will be doing him a favour if he gets into the habit of it now.

Original poster

Plingston · 16/04/2023 15:15

He hasn't shouted or screamed so I haven't needed to kick him off yet. I don't really know how else to explain it but his voice is very unusual sounding. It sounds like it is being forced all the time. His consultant asked me what was wrong with his voice in the past and why he had a sore throat. He doesn't - it just sounds forced and husky all the time. If he tries to talk more quietly, a whisper comes out. He's very popular so other people must not mind the volume as much as I do! And I have spent his entire life telling him to quieten down, inside voice, shush etc. I don't really know what else you want me to say if you think that that is impossible for some humans to naturally have louder voices than others. It seems likely that there would be natural variation in the volume of people's voices. I haven't managed to change it in 15 years so I realistically need to find a way to block it out.

OP posts:

LudicrouslyCapaciousBag · 16/04/2023 15:39

Are you absolutely sure that the issue isn’t with him? Have you had his hearing checked etc? Is anyone else bothered by it? If so / not then it may just be that you are exceptionally sensitive to noise and could explore earplugs.

TeeBee · 16/04/2023 15:58

We put soundproof panels in my son's room between our rooms as I like to go to bed early. Then I gave him a curfew of 11pm. He's grown out of the shouting to be honest.

TeeBee · 16/04/2023 15:59

Have a look at Acupanels. Look nice and help with general noise level.

Tanya1q · 14/09/2023 22:46

Hahaha wow these comments . How dare your child speak loud In your home n hes not in bed by 6.30 making zero noise. He should be on the streets pretending he’s at his mates but he isnt haha.The disrespect isn’t ok but I remember that age n it happens. I came on here for a solution as my lads is 15 n games,his voice is loud n it’s Dam well annoying . But instead you got parental advice you didn’t ask for. Plus u can’t kick him out legally anyway haha . Ignore these lot clearly they have never spoken out of line 😂

snurtifier · 14/09/2023 23:05

The idea that you can 'soundproof' a room after the fact is a myth really.

Recording studios have much better sound isolation than houses do, but this is down to the way they're built. It's not feasible to change an existing domestic room to be like that.

You could probably improve things a bit by fitting a heavy fire door to his room and making sure it has an airtight seal.

Invisimamma · 14/09/2023 23:20

Let me know if you find a solution because I have the same issue with my 13yr old gamer. We have a small 3 bed semi and his voice travels through the whole house. I've had to put limits on when he can use the headset in the evening because he I so loud. He thinks I'm completely unreasonable of course.

Chamoochamoo · 08/07/2024 00:19

What a lot of disciplinarian responses! This is a new era where we are now privy to how groups of boys interact when engaged in fun exciting games, unfortunately. Depending on my mood I find listening to my my gaming son joyful and funny or deeply irritating. Soundproofing is definitely the solution. We found sealing around the door made a big difference, as well as asking him to tone it down, as he is genuinely unaware of his volume.

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