Feb 15 2008Teenager Alarm May Be Banned In England

This doesn't sound very fair... what if they're just shopping? or browsing? What if they aren't causing any problems? And what about younger kids that can also hear it? Doesn't sound too good to me.

That's just stupid.
I don't know a single person under the age of 35 who CAN'T hear it.
So it'd be screwing with he ears of adults, too.
Laaaame.

Screw these things, now that ex-officer Rivieri (aka: Trisha) is out of a job, why not just send his roid-charged ass to England to harrass 14 year olds, put them in headlocks and threaten them.

I, for one, have already grown fond of the geekologie writer's word jokes. more, please!

oh and the noise is very irritating, from alarms as from idiots' cellphones. (Even to an old man with dog ears like me) So there isn't anything good to say about it. I would love to see them replaced so vomit-inducing rays would shoot out of it (featured on geekologie x years ago). Still no need for Rivieri though. the way he pronounces his name is absolutely horrible.

I think people who can't tolerate loitering teenagers need to find another line of work besides having a mall.

These alarms are fast becoming essential thoughout the UK. (Not just England.) It aint all just tea & crumpets over here. There are massive social problems.
Unfortunately, we're not speaking about groups of teenagers simply 'hangin out' with thier friends at the local shops. The UK is currently desperately trying to find ANY solution that will help combat the almost surreal levels of violence perpetrated by feral teenaged gangs, who plague every major metropolitan area, and who congregate anywhere they can bully people into buying them alcohol & cigarettes.
Not only do vandalise property, intimidate passers-by, by hurling abuse, rocks or bottles at them, but cheerfully stab, shoot or simply beat to death anyone who stands up to them.
I can no longer go to my local shops, as it resembles the later stages of 'Lord Of The Flies'.
The Police / Court response is a joke for anyone under 18, least we violate the rights of these unrepentant heathen children.
They do not get 'sent down'. They do not get tagged. They don't even get kerphews. They get 'Anti-Social Behaviour Orders' (or ASBO's, as they're known) which are essentially just pieces of paper that say 'You are not allowed to stab people, at this particular block of shops, between these hours.'
They're a joke, and are worn like a badge of honour by these gangs. Getting one is litterally a right of passage for them.
Shopkeepers annoying the viscious little bastards away with a dog whistle is an utterly awesome idea. In fact I shall ring my local shopkeepers now to reccomend them.

@6 - are you telling me that English boys act like cholos? There's an apartment waiting for you in New Mexico.

Glad to hear its not just the USA. not that im glad your having the problems in the Uk though.

I love the way you ended this post, keep up with the good humor. I personally hate high pitched noises, and often hear tones that don't bother most people, so these alarms going away is a good thing. Noise pollution is just that, and while I agree that crime is an issue, this is not the way to prevent it. What England needs is a more realistic and effective police and community response to the problems.

hey i dose enibody know wher could i download this ringtone for mobile phone
i want 2 see if realy works and if it i will use it
so can somebody post a link 2 a download

@ Alex

http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

here you go

Yeah, it didn't say that it was for permanently keeping them away, rather it was to be used if congregated groups became a problem. I think it's a fantastic idea.

@ #6 Simon, I'm with you that one..........serious social problems in the UK, Violence amongst the youth is considered cool.........

They are probably calling for a ban on these things not because they care about the younger generation, but because the younger generation wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to trash the damn things, I mean who wants to keep paying to replace them?

I'm from the UK and I'm 14, and i personally think they are a good idea :D they keep the chavs from doing damage

So young people are being annoying. What do we do? Do we try to help them in some way, treat them lilke human beings? No, we install high-pitched alarms that only they can supposedly hear and try to scare them off like pests. They make similar alarms for rats. We're treating people like rodents now? Well, since I personally can even hear the ones MADE FOR RATS, I think I'll probably be able to hear these too. And I'm 21. Ban 'em all I say.

We have to do something to keep the filthy chavs away from our businesses and properties. It's either this or permission from the government to kick the shit out of the little mugs (and their parents) whenever they cause problems, which I think would be acceptable.

so there are problems..enact the death penalty; get rid of all young offender bills..if someone that is 13 and steals a car, or rapes or burns or kills...all rights are vanquished.

rape gang violence or murdre ..hangings or summonary execution. judge jury and executioner..Judge Dredd is my hero.

I think they are just right using the alarm. Not by violence yet, but for all the mess the youngers like todo walking in big groups and staying clusters in front of stories getting drunk. Use the alarm!!!

It's a form of torture much like Tasers in the US. Tasers, yet another infringement on our rights by the gov't. Add it to the ever-growing list of violations:
They violate the 1st Amendment by opening mail, caging demonstrators and banning books like "America Deceived" from Amazon.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns during Katrina.
They violate the 4th Amendment by conducting warrant-less wiretaps.
They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment by suspending habeas corpus.
They violate the 8th Amendment by torturing.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on behalf of a foriegn gov't.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great country.
Last link (unless Google Books caves to the gov't and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

I think they're a pretty good idea considering how the youth behave. I mean I haven't actually lived in the UK before, despite being English.. But I'll be moving their soon and I've been warned not to make eye contact! That's pretty freaking serious.

The only think I don't like this is that it affects every child. Say, if a 5 year old is waiting outside for his mother to quickly pop into the store and buy something, he'll be affected. Or babies in strollers. I realise there's no way to specifically target the ones causing trouble, but it does unnecessarily affect completely innocent bystanders as well.

For the most part, I think people are making a bigger deal of this than it merits. My understanding is that the sound is merely annoying, not painful, unless you sit under it at length and develop a headache. A person who visits the shop long enough to pay for gas or buy a soda shouldn't have any problem, but someone loitering in the parking lot all afternoon and harassing old ladies would. If it was immediately painful, kids wouldn't use it as a cell phone ring.

@19 - Your comments flat out do not apply. It isn't the government (much less the US government) using the devices. It is property owners in the United Kingdom. Even if they were property owners in the US, the Constitution wouldn't limit them. The claim of torture is also questionable, becase the kids can leave and the device is merely annoying, not painful. I very much doubt Ron Paul would be for the national government interfering with property owners means of defense. After all, nowhere in the enumerated powers does it say Congress shall have the power to pass laws to keep the racket down.

@20 - Actually you could direct the sound, but it might be expensive (you'd need the opposite of a motion detector I guess, some sore of loiter detector). A guy at MIT developed focused speakers a few years ago that beam the sound. You might recall that a cruise ship used it to repel pirates awhile back. In that case it was actually a noise so loud it's painful, but apparently US Troops also use it in "Voice of God" mode to mess with enemies. See:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20071217.aspx

A reliable source is saying that Tom posted a personal ad at a celebs dating club. That site named Richromances.com or something. NOT a right place for him, right?

I do think that these things are only the start in protecting businesses and property within inner-city areas within the UK. I live near a series of local shops that, at night are surrounded by foul-mouthed, aggressive teens that attack anyone who dares to walk near, past a certain hour.

Whilst its not a solution to the problem as a whole, i would not complain at all if after a certain hour, say 8-9pm these mosquito alarms that are about said shops are turned on- through the night till 6-7am.

Saying that who needs to go as far as these alarms, said shops were a lot worse than they used to be. The local bargin booze had a problem of young teens loitering around its corner in the dark, their solution? Installing a bright light at the side of the building that is motion activated.

Again this is just an example, our teen culture is in trouble- these alarms are not the be all and end all. If you look at the problem as a whole these things neither aid nor hinder the problem.

I'm 25 and those so called rings give me the worst headaches. These should be banned because why punish everyone else for some stupid chavs? You want to take care of those kids? Pepper spray, baby. Pepper spray.

@21

Clearly you are too old to hear the noise. It is not merely annoying. I listened to the mosquito ringtone for 5 seconds out of curiosity, and I already have a headache. This was at a low laptop speaker volume. I can't imagine how the high volume teenager deterrent frequencies wouldn't be painful, even for short periods of time. Is there any research into whether this can actually be damaging to a young persons ears?

@25,
Actually, I've never bothered to find out till now. the first one I tried I just heard static, but this one:
http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/audio/nyregion/20060610_RINGTONE.mp3
I could hear fine (I'm 26). It actually sounds like the occasional tinnitus I experience. It grated when it first came on and when it ended, but quickly became background. To be fair though, it may not be an actual 17 KHz sound as the Mosquito is supposed to be, as this guy provides comparisons, and it sounds closer to 15 KHz. and I have more trouble hearing the true 17KHz.
http://saunderslog.com/2006/06/12/the-mosquito-ring-tone-this-adult-can-hear-it/

Either way, I don't think it should be banned. I think users should take care not to inflict it on everyone though, such as only activating it when rambunctious kids are out of control. How it's used should be important, not just that it is used.

But really, if these kids are that much of a problem, the UK has better things to do than ban certain frequencies from audio equipment.

I would think that teenagers would have blasted their eardrums out, making these things useless. On the other hand, I'm 22 and have never been a fan of loud noises, and I could hear the 22 KHz ringtone just fine. I suppose that grouping ages with noise detection capabilities isn't perfect.

Wow, sounds like UK teens are getting just the little drogeys of Clockwork Orange. Maybe a little of Betthoven's 9th will settle them down.

My personal favorite for ridding my house of my little pre-teen and his vermin buddies is Dwight Yoakam - A little Dwight makes everything right!

I and every other teen this is aimed at has ruined their ears with mp3 players and can't hear this shit anyway.

We need Behind still there. exploring in a hollow