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What is the Mosquito Teen Repeller?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

While the concept of using ultrasonic frequencies to drive away unwanted pests is not exactly new, the new gadget known as a Mosquito Teen Repeller has definitely changed the target demographic from rodents and insects to loitering teenagers. The device delivers a high-pitched noise which many audiologists suggest can only be heard by humans under the age of 20, although some older adults claim they can also hear the annoying sound.

Teens loitering in store parking lots or common areas in shopping malls can become a serious liability for store owners and a security threat to customers. Discouraging teenagers from congregating, however, is generally easier said than done, and many efforts to disperse crowds actually create more problems than they solve. This is the situation which led to the development of the Mosquito Teen Repeller. A store owner in England agreed to test the device after plans to pipe classical music over a loudspeaker fell through.

A shopping mall might turn to the Mosquito Teen Repeller.
A shopping mall might turn to the Mosquito Teen Repeller.

The initial sound generated by a Mosquito Teen Repeller may be a little unpleasant to a teen's ear, but it shouldn't prevent him or her from conducting routine business in a store. After several minutes, however, the ultrasonic noise becomes quite annoying, especially when delivered at 75 decibels. Teens who would ordinarily loiter in front of a store for hours are often driven away by the Mosquito Teen Repeller within a half hour.

The Mosquito Teen Repeller uses ultrasonic frequencies to drive away pests.
The Mosquito Teen Repeller uses ultrasonic frequencies to drive away pests.

While the actual field results of the Mosquito Teen Repeller have been decidedly mixed, there is no doubt the high-pitched noise does get noticed. Unfortunately, the noise can also be heard by young adults and others with sensitive hearing. This means a number of potential adult customers may be inadvertently driven away by the same noise intended to discourage teenagers. There is even some discussion of modifying the Mosquito Teen Repeller to work as a non-lethal method for dispersing large crowds of young protesters or rioters.

Mosquito Teen Repeller was designed to disperse crowds.
Mosquito Teen Repeller was designed to disperse crowds.

The technology which makes the Mosquito Teen Repeller so effective against teenagers has now become a technology embraced by teens and young adults. The so-called "teen buzz" frequency used to drive away teenagers from stores and malls is now used as secretive ring tones in cellphones. Adult teachers and parents cannot hear this frequency, but teens can still hear their cellphones ringing during classes.

Because the disruptive ultrasonic frequencies can still be heard by a number of adults, implementation of Mosquito Teen Repeller systems has been somewhat limited. It may still be possible to improve the device by selecting a higher frequency less likely to bother adults or by limiting its use to times when an actual problem has been reported by customers or staff.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular EasyTechJunkie contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular EasyTechJunkie contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon966132

Grandma strolls into the mall with a baby and she can't understand why it's screaming like it's being tortured.

anon336841

Aha! This is why I feel ill when I shop! I can hear that noise, and it's not some building system gone awry! That's okay though. I hate shopping anyway.

anon292739

I'm 32 and I can hear that mosquito buzzing sound It's irritating and makes me feel really ill. I don't think it's fair or right. There are plenty of teenagers who can't hear it due to blasting out their eardrums.

anon18311

tried experiment in class with cell phone with a teacher-didn't work!!!i.e. the teacher was capable of hearing it.

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    • A shopping mall might turn to the Mosquito Teen Repeller.
      By: Andris Piebalgs
      A shopping mall might turn to the Mosquito Teen Repeller.
    • The Mosquito Teen Repeller uses ultrasonic frequencies to drive away pests.
      By: Henrik Larsson
      The Mosquito Teen Repeller uses ultrasonic frequencies to drive away pests.
    • Mosquito Teen Repeller was designed to disperse crowds.
      By: Dmitry Vereshchagin
      Mosquito Teen Repeller was designed to disperse crowds.