Teen
loiteringnot cause for alarm uproar
Staff Editorial
Teen-repellent. It may sound like some bizarre invention from a bad science fiction
novel but sadly, it’s all too real.
The New York Times contained an article this week about the latest brand of repellant,
the Mosquito. A small device, the Mosquito emits a pulsating frequency so high-pitched
it is only audible to younger, more sensitive ears. Its inventor, Welshman Howard
Stapleton, designed it to keep teenagers from loitering outside convenience stores.
This is the latest weapon in the war on loitering; some businesses use blue-tinged “zit
lamps,” which highlight skin imperfections, to embarrass acne-prone teens
away from their parking lots and storefronts.
Unlike the lights, which only make kids blush, Stapleton’s Mosquito can
either annoy them or prove physically painful, depending on the decibel level.
Also unlike the lights, which would barely be noticeable to people walking in
and out of the store, the Mosquito will likely be an annoyance to non-loiterers.
The Mosquito is supposedly inaudible to people over the age of 30; those 20 and
over may or may not hear it and those under 20 can almost always detect the pitch.
That means more than simply a group of bored high-schoolers will feel the urge
to stay away from “equipped” areas.
Many convenience store employees are teenagers. Will they be subjected to an
unpleasant noise while they work, or if they choose to spend their breaks outside?
Plenty of customers, too, will be under the age of 30. This is not a soundtrack
they will want to spend their money listening to.
Imagine a 25-year-old mother and her infant walking into a convenience store;
if noise-sensitivity is strongest in youth, young children will be among the
worst victims of Mosquito-like devices.
Dogs, whether seeing eye dogs assisting blind people or average household pets
tethered outside while their owners run in for a gallon of milk, will also be
negatively affected.
Mosquitoes located in denser commercial areas might pose a problem for neighboring
businesses, whose owners would be unable to control the noise. A coffee-shop
or outdoor cafe near a device could lose significant business if the noise spreads
to its doorstep.
It’s understandable for stores to want to discourage loitering; a gaggle
of teenagers blocking an entranceway is rarely good for business. Using noise
to keep them away is not solving the problem, but rather shifting it elsewhere.
There is a lack of safe, public space for people to spend time in. This is a
problem that needs to be dealt with on a large, international scale. Exploiting
the sound-sensitivity of young people is not a good solution; it merely takes
the convenience out of convenience stores.
This staff editorial originally ran in The Pitt News at the University of Pittsburgh.
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