Is it true their a sound only teenagers can hear, and if so how?

Answer 1

This is a extract from CBS news thats kinda on the same lines of ya question!

(CBS) A machine that emits an annoying sound that only youths can hear is being tried as a way to keep loitering teens away.

CBS News Correspondent Richard Roth reports that a convenience store in Barry, Wales is among the device's early users. The store's owner wants to repel an after-school crowd he finds annoying.

Dubbed "The Mosquito" by inventor Howard Stapleton, the machine looks like a box with a small loudspeaker attached, and is mounted over the store's entrance.

Roth did a quick survey of some teens at the store.

One said he could hear the noise, then scampered away.

Another said is sounded like a repetitive "deep, deep, deep" and was indeed grating.

Yet another described it as resembling "a violin string (being rubbed), but really, really, really high pitched."

The sound, Roth explains, is supposed to work as a repellant for a simple reason: Most people over 30 can't hear it, most people under 20 can, and hate it.

Roth chatted with Stapleton, who modified the sound for him so older people, including Roth, could pick it up.

Normally, the device is tuned to emit a pulsing high-frequency tone, inaudible to most aging ears and deeply annoying to younger ones.

"It's relatively small; it's very annoying. That sounds like a mosquito to me," Stapleton told Roth, in explaining why he named it "The Mosquito."

He used his own kids as guinea pigs.

Roth says Stapleton is dreaming of a swarm of mosquitoes throughout Britain, wherever teen-age loiterers are perceived as a problem, to coax them to leave.

"Once it gets in your head," Stapleton says, "it's very difficult to shake off, and the only way to shake it off is to move away."

Over eight weeks of testing, that's exactly what's happened at the Welsh convenience store.

"They've gone straightaway, like, you know, so we don't have them hanging around like we used to," a woman behind the counter says.

Apparently, Roth adds, only the 'hanging-around' crowd finds the sound annoying: It doesn't seem to bother dogs, and customers who keep moving hardly notice it.

Hope this answers ya question!!!!!

Answer 2

There is no specific frequency of sound that can only be heard by teenagers, however there is a range in which this is possible. As we grow older the frequency ranges we can hear becomes smaller, so a younger person can hear higher and lower pitched sounds.

Answer 3

There are certain high pitched sounds that only younger people can hear. I'm not sure of the dividing age, but I believe it is around 30. Indeed some shops and other establishments have installed sound systems that play nothing but continuous high pitched sounds to keep troublemaking youngsters away from the area, allowing older people to purchase goods, etc away from the percieved threat of the youngsters.

Answer 4

Pefectly true yes, this is to do with age and the ability of younger "ears" to be able to hear higher pitched sound than older people. The ear drum is able to hear a larger range of frequency of sound when young.

Answer 5

I'v never heard about this but if it is so it would be because of the developmental stage a teenagers ear drubs would be the only ones at the proper tension to hear that frequency

Answer 6

there are some high pitched sounds that older people can't hear that can be used to irritate teens---not sure of the age of the older people but the sound is used to keep teens from grouping in certain areas

Answer 7

In general this is true. As we get older our ability to hear softer sounds and higher pitch sounds typically diminishes.

Answer 8

Yea its called TEEN BUZZ! in london this tone is continuosly played in da shops n 2 drive the window shopping teens......... itz something to do with da frequency.. with age our hearing power decrease so ppl older than 20 years are not able 2 hear it....I can hear it n itz damn irritatin

Answer 9

It sound low in some frequencies for people with ae more than 40....
not to do with teenagers!!!!

Answer 10

Yes it is true. It is a new ringtone. We can hear it but older people can't. It is becuase of the higher frequency.