The Teens Are Fighting Back

A few months ago I told you about a device that was being used in England to chase away pesky teenagers. The device emitted a high pitched tone that older people, thanks to the natural aging process, can't hear but is very annoying to teenagers.

Well, the teens are using this technology to their advantage according to a story in today's Register:

In that old battle of the wills between young people and their keepers, the young have found a new weapon that could change the balance of power on the cell phone front: a ring tone that many adults cannot hear.

In settings where cell phone use is forbidden - in class, for example - it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.

"When I heard about it, I didn't believe it at first," said Donna Lewis, a technology teacher at the Trinity School in New York City. "But one of the kids gave me a copy, and I sent it to a colleague. She played it for her firstgraders. All of them could hear it, and neither she nor I could."

The technology, which relies on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, was developed in Britain but has only recently spread to America - by Internet, of course.

Of course, some adults are more sensitive to those high-pitched sounds than others:

At Roslyn, as at most schools, cell phones must be turned off during class. But one recent morning, a high-pitched ring tone went off that set teeth on edge for anyone who could hear it. To the students' surprise, that group included their teacher.

"Whose cell phone is that?" Musorofiti demanded, demonstrating that at 28, her ears had not lost their sensitivity to strangely annoying, high-pitched, though virtually inaudible tones.

"You can hear that?" one of the students asked.

"Adults are not supposed to be able to hear that," said another, according to the teacher's account.

She heard that, Musorofiti said. "Now turn it off."

Oops. Most of us old folks won't be able to hear it, so I assume this will become very popular.