There is a relatively new device called “The English Mosquito” which is being used in England to control where young people typically gather.
The device works by emitting high-frequency sounds that only young people (typically younger than 20 years of age) have the ability to hear. Because it’s fairly annoying, it causes young people to eventually leave a particular area. Human right’s groups are obviously unimpressed with the blanket use of the devices:
Aynsley-Green said about 3,500 of the devices are in use across England to split up gatherings of youth in areas such as parks and shops.
“These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving,” he added.
Apparently some people feel that having young people gather in a place like a park is a huge problem. I mean, it’s quite possible they might pull out a soccer ball or a frisbee and start playing, and who knows what else.
[..] Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: “What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids.
“The Mosquito has no place in a country that values its children and seeks to instill them with dignity and respect.”
And while most of the groups that are resisting these devices are in the UK, the availability of these items for sale on the Internet is already worrying individuals in other neighbouring countries:
John Loughton, from Pilton, chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and recent Big Brother winner, said: “If ever there was a device which highlighted the terrible way in which young people are treated in society then this is it. Since when did standing in an area become a crime?”
I obviously think that the use of a device like this is complete lunacy, but what I’m fairly surprised with is how every article I’ve read justifies the device by saying it helps eliminate “anti-social behaviour” by driving kids away. Wouldn’t kids striving to hang out together in groups constitute social behaviour? I mean, when I was a kid it was cool to get together with our friends in parks, parking lots and even in front of the local 7-11. We weren’t looking to create trouble, we were just looking for something to do.
If kids really are causing problems then pick up the phone and call the police — don’t discriminate against all kids with a device like this simply because you’re afraid of a few bad apples.
To some degree I can see why they would want to employ the use of this in some towns in the UK. In early 2006, I vacationed in London and decided to visit a friend who was living in Exeter at the time. We went out for dinner one evening and after seeing her off on bus, we (my now ex) walked back to the hotel. On the way we passed by a local supermarket that seemed to be swarmed with kids (mostly teens). Mind you that this was around 10PM! (I can’t remember if it was a weeknight). But the point is that there were all these kids hanging around one of the few places that was open at that hour.
I think the UK needs to do something more than to use a device to disperse crowds of young people. They should sink their money into community centers that can help keep these kids off the streets and out of trouble. But maybe I’m just being an idealist. I’m sure this sort of thing applies in other countries. On the other hand, it does make you wonder where the parents are in all this. But I guess that’s another discussion…
Good post Duane, very interesting device and clearly not the best use.
I wonder if the device becomes active at night only, during times when parks are usually closed (I don’t imagine Stanley Park is open 24-7 – I’m sure security guards try to move people on – what would you be doing at Stanley Park at 11pm on a Tuesday night – assuming no events taking place there – in a mass group of 10-20 ppl?).
I’ll have to read the article to see what times the devices are active. I don’t think they’d employ such a device during the day as that would counter the intended use of the park during normal hours.
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Done reading the article and there is no mention of the device’s activation. They don’t say “it is turned on by monitoring software” or a person or timer or anything. Is this thing always on?
I can see shop owners desiring to have it, and it makes sense around the railways, but in parks?
[…] Duane Storey wrote an interesting post today on The English MosquitoHere’s a quick excerptI mean, it’s quite possible they might pull out a soccer ball or a frisbee and start playing, and who knows what else. [..] Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: “What type of society uses a low-level … […]
The only possible justifiable use I can see for something like this would be as a form of crowd control, without resorting to tear gas, rubber bullets and the like. But then it would only be applicable for use against people into their 20’s, not to mention that if a situation is at the point of being violent, the effect of the noise might change and become either negligible, or further enraging.
As a means for every day societal control, it is absolutely ridiculous that it is allowed.
The Mosquito is essentially a broad, sonic broom.
It’s function is simple. Sweep a potentially problematic generation away, where we don’t have to look at it.
I’ve heard a Mosquito in use before. It sounds like a dentist drill feels when you’re having a cavity drilled. That subtle kind of grinding noise, that just – eventually – gets under your skin.
If they’re going to have these things around parks and convenience stores, then computer stores should be able to get a similar device to keep old people away. Flip the logic and suddenly it’s outrageous. Why? Not because it’s biased against a vulnerable senior group, but rather because it’s aimed at a demographic that is eligible to vote, pays taxes, and is perceived to be offering something to society.
Youth are not allowed to vote, don’t pay all that much in taxes, and generally are perceived to be nuisances all around, despite all the many things they contribute to the wellbeing of their respective cultures. Ergo, they get the buzz.
[quote comment=”41501″]The Mosquito is essentially a broad, sonic broom.
It’s function is simple. Sweep a potentially problematic generation away, where we don’t have to look at it.
I’ve heard a Mosquito in use before. It sounds like a dentist drill feels when you’re having a cavity drilled. That subtle kind of grinding noise, that just – eventually – gets under your skin.
If they’re going to have these things around parks and convenience stores, then computer stores should be able to get a similar device to keep old people away. Flip the logic and suddenly it’s outrageous. Why? Not because it’s biased against a vulnerable senior group, but rather because it’s aimed at a demographic that is eligible to vote, pays taxes, and is perceived to be offering something to society.
Youth are not allowed to vote, don’t pay all that much in taxes, and generally are perceived to be nuisances all around, despite all the many things they contribute to the wellbeing of their respective cultures. Ergo, they get the buzz.[/quote]
A smart youth, or with a very smart older friend, would sample the device, use an inverter and should the center frequency vary, a PLL (phase lock loop) system to track it and simply emit the inverse of the signal (if it is unidirectional that could be a bit of a pain). You’d cancel out the noise or at least have nodes where the noise would cancel and the youth could huddle.
Or find out where it is and smash it to pieces with a Louisville Slugger.
Reading this at first I actually believed it was a joke and in no way an actual reality.
Stupid me I guess, assuming such lunacy could not exist.
Next thing you know, there will be park or mall or parking lot police armed with cattle prods hired to drive the perceived problematic youth away and into the shadows.
For now, noise.
There was a time outside of memory when there was no noise to speak of, just pure sound. I wonder what it was like.
Goodness fuck. Sneaky. Stupid. Lame.
Couldn’t they use this for good… I mean around dangerous things like wells, construction sites or electrical units etc…
Gross.
Wow, that’s incredibly ridiculous.
Wow. that is absolutely insane. It is incredible that the UK would do that to its citizens.
While i don’t agree with indiscriminate targeting of kids.
Living in the UK I can kinda see the point and why people are using it.
It really all started to change around 15 years ago when the UK started to get a large middle class which of course went on to elect Labour after the god awful Conservative government. The problem is that this affluence and a much more liberal society in general has given rise to a large amount of kids who to put it bluntly, just don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves and have no respect for others including their property.
They primarily hang around shops late at night to get drunk, and abuse everyone who goes in and out of the shops and of course vandalise them. This is not just a small section of teenage society. It is totally widespread, even in small towns. There really is a whole generation, perhaps even two generations now that are acting like this.
My friend who lives in Japan, says when he see a group of lads on the streets as he walks home. He feels safe as houses and they will treat him with respect. As soon as he returns to the UK for a visit. If he sees a group of teenagers walking the streets. He will get abused for no reason, perhaps even assaulted physically, so he always crosses to the other side of the street.
As I said before. I can totally understand why these devices are used. I may not particularly like it. However until something is done about our teenage society, what are shop owners to do if these kids are destroying their shops week in week out?
Back in the day when I did youth theatre, we were told to take no offence, but we can’t crowd around the box office because it detracts potential old people who want to buy tickets. They always let us know that the we were amazing and talented kids and we were a valuable part of the theatre, but they had to cave because the reality is the youth are the minority and with the majority of season ticket holders being elderly, they just couldn’t have us out there like that. (Ironically, the youth show is part of the season ticket.)
It makes me sick, but there’s nothing I can do. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it later on in life, but right now, I’m IDed when I go into a bar…and then when I’m IDed, they see I’m under 25…and I like to go to the mall with my 16 year old sister (amazing kid with her sister’s morals)…therefore the creepy shop clerk at the dollar store has the right to be suspicious enough to follow me around the store.
And then they want my vote.
Being under 20 myself, I wonder why some people see us as such a threat…
Duane it’s funny when you say that “it’s quite possible they might pull out a soccer ball…and start playing, and who knows what else!” … Like oh god no! Not unorganized sports! There just happens to be a few individuals out there whos focus is to cause trouble… and they instill fear in some. So supposedly we’re all little shits.
Oh and the thing about “anti-social behavior”, that does not make any sense at all. Just because your not doing anything productive during social time doesn’t make what you are doing classify as “anti-social behavior”… they come up with the strangest ideas sometimes.
They’ve defiantly taking this issue a little too far…
That is one of the more bizarre things I’ve ever read.
I head about The Mosquito a while back. The best part of the whole thing with it is that some kids went and started using the technology for their own purposes and created the Mosquito Ring Tone so they could hear incoming text messages and phone calls in class without the teacher noticing. Never underestimate the ingenuity of young people.
I’m not sure if it’s called the Mosquito here but these same devices are being used in B.C. I can name several places in Burnaby where they are being used. It is incredibly spirit crushing to see why these devices are being installed–in one case, it’s so that homeless people wont use a particular set of cement stairs as a washroom.
At the very least, it would seem that the most straight forward thing to do is to install a public washroom, given that there aren’t any within a mile of the place. No, instead, the city of Burnaby decides that this incessantly buzzing device is “an adequate measure”. How great, a device that makes it easy to forget that we have a right to assemble in a public space.
I should add that this device can be heard by everyone so it’s not exactly the same as the mosquito. Still, it emits a loud buzzing pitch that is almost impossible to block out when you’re within 3 or 4 meters of it.
How the hell can they even make such a device? I thought that was a joke when I started reading it. That’s absurd.
Now, where can I buy a few for my street?
maybe if we started seeing teenagers as people who are almost adults, and not soem sort of strange species, then maybe we’ll get somewhere.
That’s messed up and even though I’m 35, if I ever found one of those devices, I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy it!
Actually, lots of kids at my high school use something like that as ringtones on their cellphones, so that the other students can hear it but older teachers can’t.
Wow. That actually makes me sick to my stomach. Reminds me of books like The Giver and Brave New World. Humans aren’t sheep that you can fucking manipulate en masse based on broad generalizations. This is like saying all old people should be stunned with cattle guns and executed once they reach 70 as we all know none of them will be contributing any further to society, just as we know any child under 20 is up to no good at all times, especially when they’re in groups.
Ugh. Seriously. I thought you were fucking kidding at first.
[…] It seems Duane posted about this very thing, which I obviously missed, so there’s no point in posting about it […]