The Mosquito
Encyclopedia
The Mosquito or Mosquito alarm (marketed as the Beethoven in France, the Swiss-Mosquito in Switzerland and SonicScreen in the US and Canada) is an electronic device, used to deter loitering
by young people, which emits a sound with a very high frequency. The newest version of the device, launched late in 2008, has two frequency settings, one of approximately 17.4 kHz
that can generally be heard only by young people, and another at 8 kHz
that can be heard by most people. The maximum potential output sound pressure
level is stated by the manufacturer to be 108 decibels (dB)
. The sound can typically only be heard by people below 25 years of age, as the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates in humans with age (a phenomenon known as presbycusis
).
The device is marketed as a safety and security tool for preventing youths from congregating in specific areas. As such, it is promoted to reduce anti-social behaviour
such as loitering
, graffiti
, vandalism
, drug use, drug distribution, and violence. In the UK, over 3,000 have been sold, mainly for use outside shops and near transport hubs. The device is also sold in Australia, France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the USA.
The Mosquito has attracted controversy on the basis of human rights. Critics say that it discriminates against young people and infringes their human rights, while supporters argue that making the Mosquito illegal would infringe the human rights of shopkeepers who suffer business losses when "unruly teenagers" drive away their customers. Mosquito distributors have said that they keep standards to ensure that the device is not abused, and Howard Stapleton who invented the device has asked European governments to legislate guidelines governing its use.
, where it was successful in reducing teenagers loitering near a grocery store
. The idea was born after he was irritated by a factory noise when he was a child. The drive to create the product was when Mr. Stapleton's 17-year-old daughter went to the store to buy milk and was harassed by a group of 12 to 15-year-olds. Using his children as test subjects, he determined the frequency of "The Mosquito."
The Mosquito was released to the mainstream market in 2006, through Stapleton's company Compound Security Solutions. The current device has two settings: the high frequency sound targeted at youth, and another that can be heard by everyone. The range of the sound is 140 feet (43 m) with the sound baffle
, and 200 feet (61 m) without. It requires a 24vDC or 15vAC power supply.
A device installed in a Spar
shop in Caerleon Road in Newport
, South Wales was banned after three months by the Newport Community Safety Partnership, a partnership set up to meet the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
, with members including Newport City Council
, Gwent Police
, Newport Local Health Board, South Wales Fire Service, representatives of Customs and Excise
, and the Welsh Assembly Government
. Despite the ban, another Spar shop in Newport installed the device. A Newport Community Safety Partnership spokesman said: "Any view expressed by the Partnership does not stop any business or private company from purchasing these devices. They must ensure these systems comply with the law."
In February 2008, in response to a national campaign launched by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Liberty
, and the National Youth Agency
, the government issued a statement insisting that "'Mosquito alarms are not banned and the government has no plans to ban them".
In a United Kingdom
survey of the relevant studies of adults exposed to high frequency sound in an occupational context for the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) in 2001, it was concluded that the studies were inadequate to establish guidelines for safe exposure. The Mosquito's manufacturer relies on these inconclusive adult studies to justify the safety of the device. Although the manufacturer's website reproduces a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
(RCPCH) regarding the exposure of children to the device, this report is also based on the adult exposure guidelines.
"We feel totally justified in deploying Mosquito devices in the borough of Rochdale to give the community respite in cases of acute anti-social behaviour and youth nuisance," she said. "We use the devices when there are large groups of young people making life a problem for residents and businesses, as we are very keen not to let problems of anti-social behaviour escalate."
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) also supports the usage of the device, and so does British Retail Consortium (BRC), stating that "Not all young people are involved in violence, but given that some retail staff are facing a level of insolence [from teenagers] they have to have the option of doing what they can to protect themselves. They are entitled to discourage threatening groups from hanging around or in their shops."
At the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows school district in British Columbia, Canada, the device has been credited with lowering exterior vandalism at one school by about 40%.
A UK campaign called "Buzz off" is calling for The Mosquito to be banned. Shami Chakrabarti
, director of Liberty, has claimed that the sound is "untested [and] unregulated" and that it can be a "sonic weapon directed against children and young people." Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has criticised the devices for indiscriminately targeting all children and babies regardless of their behaviour. He describes such measures as "demonising children and young people", and creating a "dangerous and widening divide" between the young and the old.
The device was singled out for criticism in a joint report by children's commissioners for all parts of the UK, which formed part of a United Nations
review of standards in the UK. A report for the Council of Europe
called for a ban in 2010, suggesting use of the Mosquito may breach human rights law.
.
Elsewhere, campaigners and authorities in many countries have stated that they believe the device to breach human rights and may even constitute assault.
In September 2008, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP
moved a motion to the European Parliament
to ban the use of the Mosquito. It failed to get enough signatures from MEPs to proceed to a full debate.
The Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
prepared a report stating that this device violates many articles of both the European Convention on Human Rights
and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and should be banned in Europe, because it is often "painful" and causes "degrading and discriminatory consequences for young people".
prohibited the use of The Mosquito within its municipality, and ordered a private individual to pay 2,000 euros compensation after operating the device outside their house.
The county of Kent has chosen not to allow the usage of the Mosquito on council-owned buildings.
Liberty has stated that this device may violate the United Kingdom's Human Rights Act 1998
.
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
by young people, which emits a sound with a very high frequency. The newest version of the device, launched late in 2008, has two frequency settings, one of approximately 17.4 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
that can generally be heard only by young people, and another at 8 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
that can be heard by most people. The maximum potential output sound pressure
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
level is stated by the manufacturer to be 108 decibels (dB)
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
. The sound can typically only be heard by people below 25 years of age, as the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates in humans with age (a phenomenon known as presbycusis
Presbycusis
Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. Also known as presbyacusis, it is defined as a progressive bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies...
).
The device is marketed as a safety and security tool for preventing youths from congregating in specific areas. As such, it is promoted to reduce anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
such as loitering
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
, graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
, vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, drug use, drug distribution, and violence. In the UK, over 3,000 have been sold, mainly for use outside shops and near transport hubs. The device is also sold in Australia, France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the USA.
The Mosquito has attracted controversy on the basis of human rights. Critics say that it discriminates against young people and infringes their human rights, while supporters argue that making the Mosquito illegal would infringe the human rights of shopkeepers who suffer business losses when "unruly teenagers" drive away their customers. Mosquito distributors have said that they keep standards to ensure that the device is not abused, and Howard Stapleton who invented the device has asked European governments to legislate guidelines governing its use.
History
The Mosquito was invented by Howard Stapleton in 2005, and was originally tested in Barry, South WalesSouth Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, where it was successful in reducing teenagers loitering near a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
. The idea was born after he was irritated by a factory noise when he was a child. The drive to create the product was when Mr. Stapleton's 17-year-old daughter went to the store to buy milk and was harassed by a group of 12 to 15-year-olds. Using his children as test subjects, he determined the frequency of "The Mosquito."
The Mosquito was released to the mainstream market in 2006, through Stapleton's company Compound Security Solutions. The current device has two settings: the high frequency sound targeted at youth, and another that can be heard by everyone. The range of the sound is 140 feet (43 m) with the sound baffle
Sound baffle
A sound baffle is a construction or device which reduces the strength of airborne sound. Sound baffles are a fundamental tool of noise mitigation, the practice of minimizing noise pollution or reverberation. An important type of sound baffle is the noise barrier constructed along highways to...
, and 200 feet (61 m) without. It requires a 24vDC or 15vAC power supply.
A device installed in a Spar
SPAR
Spar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...
shop in Caerleon Road in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales was banned after three months by the Newport Community Safety Partnership, a partnership set up to meet the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was published on 2 December 1997 and received Royal Assent in July 1998...
, with members including Newport City Council
Newport City Council
Newport City Council is the governing body for the city of Newport, one of the subdivisions of Wales within the United Kingdom. It consists of 50 councillors, representing the city's 20 wards. Since the 2008 election, the council has been controlled jointly by the Conservatives and Liberal...
, Gwent Police
Gwent Police
Gwent Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen in southeast Wales....
, Newport Local Health Board, South Wales Fire Service, representatives of Customs and Excise
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value added tax , Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and...
, and the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
. Despite the ban, another Spar shop in Newport installed the device. A Newport Community Safety Partnership spokesman said: "Any view expressed by the Partnership does not stop any business or private company from purchasing these devices. They must ensure these systems comply with the law."
In February 2008, in response to a national campaign launched by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
, and the National Youth Agency
National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency is an educational charity in England that works in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to support and improve services for young people....
, the government issued a statement insisting that "'Mosquito alarms are not banned and the government has no plans to ban them".
Awards
The Mosquito won the Ig Nobel for Peace in 2006. The Ig Nobels celebrate the quirkier side of serious scientific endeavour, honouring "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think".Health effects
The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health stated in a report on The Mosquito, entitled "Use of ultrasonic noise channels not entirely safe":In a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
survey of the relevant studies of adults exposed to high frequency sound in an occupational context for the Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
(HSE) in 2001, it was concluded that the studies were inadequate to establish guidelines for safe exposure. The Mosquito's manufacturer relies on these inconclusive adult studies to justify the safety of the device. Although the manufacturer's website reproduces a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London is responsible for the training of postgraduate doctors in paediatrics and conducting the MRCPCH membership exams. They also conduct the Diploma in Child Health exam, which is taken by many doctors who plan a career in General Practice...
(RCPCH) regarding the exposure of children to the device, this report is also based on the adult exposure guidelines.
Support of the Mosquito
The Mosquito has received support and endorsements from municipalities, school districts, property management companies, convenience stores and other organizations. Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership said the borough was committed to the continued use of the Mosquito:"We feel totally justified in deploying Mosquito devices in the borough of Rochdale to give the community respite in cases of acute anti-social behaviour and youth nuisance," she said. "We use the devices when there are large groups of young people making life a problem for residents and businesses, as we are very keen not to let problems of anti-social behaviour escalate."
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) also supports the usage of the device, and so does British Retail Consortium (BRC), stating that "Not all young people are involved in violence, but given that some retail staff are facing a level of insolence [from teenagers] they have to have the option of doing what they can to protect themselves. They are entitled to discourage threatening groups from hanging around or in their shops."
At the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows school district in British Columbia, Canada, the device has been credited with lowering exterior vandalism at one school by about 40%.
Opposition
Opposition categorizes it as an indiscriminate weapon which succeeds only in demonising children and young people and may breach their human rights.A UK campaign called "Buzz off" is calling for The Mosquito to be banned. Shami Chakrabarti
Shami Chakrabarti
Shami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:...
, director of Liberty, has claimed that the sound is "untested [and] unregulated" and that it can be a "sonic weapon directed against children and young people." Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has criticised the devices for indiscriminately targeting all children and babies regardless of their behaviour. He describes such measures as "demonising children and young people", and creating a "dangerous and widening divide" between the young and the old.
The device was singled out for criticism in a joint report by children's commissioners for all parts of the UK, which formed part of a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
review of standards in the UK. A report for the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
called for a ban in 2010, suggesting use of the Mosquito may breach human rights law.
Europe
Liberty has stated that, in their opinion, the device may violate sections 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human RightsEuropean Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
.
Elsewhere, campaigners and authorities in many countries have stated that they believe the device to breach human rights and may even constitute assault.
In September 2008, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
moved a motion to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
to ban the use of the Mosquito. It failed to get enough signatures from MEPs to proceed to a full debate.
The Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
prepared a report stating that this device violates many articles of both the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and should be banned in Europe, because it is often "painful" and causes "degrading and discriminatory consequences for young people".
Belgium
In Belgium, a resolution was passed by the House in June 2008 asking the government to take all necessary measures to prohibit the use of devices like the Mosquito on Belgian territory.France
The legality of the device has been tested in the French courts, where the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Saint-BrieucSaint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
prohibited the use of The Mosquito within its municipality, and ordered a private individual to pay 2,000 euros compensation after operating the device outside their house.
Republic of Ireland
Under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, anyone who "directly or indirectly applies force to or causes an impact on the body of another... without the consent of the other" (force including "application of [any] form of energy"), is guilty of committing assault. This issue has been raised in relation to the Mosquito device by Ireland's Ombudsman for Children following legal advice provided by Youth Work Ireland. This has yet to be tested in the Irish courts.United Kingdom
The manufacturers claim the tones are broadcast at 75 dB, meaning that the product falls within the government's auditory-safety limits, although the German news source Heise reported the device emits 85 dB., and websites selling the Mosquito claim it can go up to 95dB with a special chip, which in reality allows the Mosquito to reach 104dB. The government of the United Kingdom issued a statement in 2008 stating that "'Mosquito alarms are not banned and the government has no plans to ban them".The county of Kent has chosen not to allow the usage of the Mosquito on council-owned buildings.
Liberty has stated that this device may violate the United Kingdom's Human Rights Act 1998
Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which received Royal Assent on 9 November 1998, and mostly came into force on 2 October 2000. Its aim is to "give further effect" in UK law to the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights...
.
Teen Buzz ringtone
Some teens have found the once annoying sound can be used as a tool, and turned it into a mobile phone ringtone. This prevents disciplinary actions that may be imposed by teachers hearing their phone ring during class. This ringtone became informally known as "Teen Buzz" or "the Mosquito ringtone" and has since been sold commercially.See also
- PresbycusisPresbycusisPresbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. Also known as presbyacusis, it is defined as a progressive bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies...
, the age-related hearing loss - Hearing rangeHearing rangeFor more detail on human hearing see Audiogram, Equal loudness contours and Hearing impairment.Hearing range usually describes the range of frequencies that can be heard by an animal or human, though it can also refer to the range of levels...
- Absolute threshold of hearingAbsolute threshold of hearingThe absolute threshold of hearing is the minimum sound level of a pure tone that an average ear with normal hearing can hear with no other sound present. The absolute threshold relates to the sound that can just be heard by the organism...