'Teen repellent' in Adachi park spurs flood of inquiries

Over the past several years, Kitashikahama Park in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward has suffered repeated acts of vandalism to toilets and other public facilities. Soon after repairs were made, the same facilities were damaged again.

“In that park alone, damage (believed done) by youngsters last year cost us about 700,000 yen,” the section head of park management tells the Kameari Keizai Shimbun (May 21), a local website.

A private security firm conducted patrols at the park two nights a week. The patrolmen would approach the local youths who regularly hanged out there and asked for their cooperation, but “there were limits on what they could do,” a staff member of the ward office sighs to the Internet news site J-cast (May 20).

Residents adjacent to the park have also complained about teens’ loud voices and setting off of fireworks at late hours.

So in April, ward authorities decided to decision rent a “Mosquito MK4 Anti-Vandal System,” an electronic noisemaker produced by Compound Security System of the UK. It was installed in the park and went into operation from May 21 between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The robustly constructed device, in the form of a 10-cm cube, generates a harmless but irritating high-pitched whine above 17 kilohertz—a range that few adults over age 25 can hear, but which is still audible to teens. Maximum volume is 85 decibels.

The device was originally developed in the UK to discourage loitering around shopping malls. According to the company’s web site, the Mosquito’s effective range is 30 to 40 meters.

Adachi Ward rents the device from Melc Co Ltd, a security service based in Chiyoda Ward.

“The objective of installing the Mosquito where young people hang out is to make is make them feel uncomfortable enough to make them want to leave,” a Melc representative explains.

Some convenience stores in Japan have installed the device after complaints from nearby residents over noise and littering by teens. Its 40-meter range is enough to discourage loiterers without annoying people in nearby homes.

Adachi Ward plans to utilize the Mosquito in Kitashikahama Park on a trial basis until March 2010. If evaluations are favorable, it may consider procuring more of the units. Acts of vandalism at the 470 parks and other public areas in Adachi Ward were estimated to cost 3 million yen in 2008.

The story has also received wide coverage in the domestic media, reportedly leading to a flood of inquiries from building management firms, local governments, shopping malls and residents groups.

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Latest 15 of 54 Total Comments Show All

MapleG at 01:09 AM JST - 29th May

Some 7-11's in parts of the world play opera music at night...gets rid of teenagers faster than a homework assignment!!
Beelzebub at 08:32 AM JST - 29th May

I remember reading a few years back that a store which was having trouble with teen shoplifters hired the biggest teen bully in the neighborhood to intimidate his peers into taking their business elsewhere. Apparently it turned out to be extremely effective. So perhaps this kind of persuasion would work, although blood might be spilt at some point.
mrhog123 at 12:53 PM JST - 29th May

All you need is to have a rather low frequency sound of 17 hz. The anus resonates at that frequency, you can figure out the results. BTW it keeps everyone out of the park at those hours.
LHommeQuiMent at 04:01 PM JST - 30th May

I think that this teen-repellent will be hugely popular in Japan.

It seems to be effective as human rights activists are trying to ban it in EU.

They have also turned this buzz into a mobile phone ringtone. Teachers over 30 cannot hear it, so they can use it during class hours.

Download the teen-buzz (mp3) from here and see if you can hear it.

http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/atc/atc_teenbuzz.mp3?dl=1
tokyocrawler at 06:30 PM JST - 30th May

ouch! just downloaded that....damn thats annoying
kyolicious at 04:20 AM JST - 31st May

I mentioned to a friend recently that there were frequencies around some buildings that drove me nuts. She informed me that they were these particular security devices used to drive kids away. Well ... they drive me away too. They usually use them in the doorway or just outside of the stores, but I'm far less likely to spend money in a store if I have to plug my ears to go inside or while browsing near the entrance. I can't even walk past the Big Box in Takadanobaba. It feels like an intense itching inside my brain--not pain, exactly, but EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

I've always known my ears were sensitive, but figured years of rock concerts would have damaged them to some point by now. No, no, 26 and I can still hear the "teen" ringtone and all these damn frequencies. And while I don't want to purposefully damage my hearing ... it would be REALLY nice to not suddenly want to claw my ears off while going out somewhere.

This is just a park so I don't care too much, but ... I think while these machines seem like a good idea, younger adults like me who still have keen hearing are going to avoid places that use them. I already have a blacklist of stores I won't go to anymore because it's just too uncomfortable.
WilliB at 09:14 PM JST - 31st May

" The robustly constructed device, in the form of a 10-cm cube, generates a harmless but irritating high-pitched whine above 17 kilohertz—a range that few adults over age 25 can hear, but which is still audible to teens. Maximum volume is 85 decibels. "

How is this supposed to work in the age of the ipod?
888naff at 08:07 AM JST - 1st June

mmm japan is changing.
Fadamor at 02:21 AM JST - 2nd June

WilliB,

If you've got your iPod on, odds are that you're not with a group of friends. The music makes it hard to hear what your friends are saying. iPod users probably aren't the concern in the park at night anyway. I don't think I'd be doing something to dull one of my senses in a park at night.
Sanatan22 at 07:46 AM JST - 2nd June

Teen repellent my ass! I downloaded the sound and although I am 66 years old I can hear it.
grafton at 08:20 AM JST - 2nd June

They have been using these devices in Europe for a few years now, normally placed outside late night shops, which is a little odd given that most customers of late night shops are the young & it is designed to unsettle the young, NOT just teenagers. And maybe being 26 feels old to a 26 year old, but it is not old. When I first read about these things I was tempted to get the designs & see how great a range of people could be “unsettled” with a little adjustment here & there. I abandoned the idea because I have cats as do some of the neighbours I thought about unsettling & I have no desire to upset innocent animals. Which brings me to another point nobody seems too concerned about. There are some little critters in the park at night that do have a perfect right to be there & they are not vandalising the place. These devices may move the idiots away & may even get them to go home & annoy their parents, but where do the poor animals go?

Maybe what is really needed is a curfew for all minors with a standing fine imposed on the parents if a “child” is found out the street after a set time without an acceptable guardian. At least this way the animals don’t need to suffer horrible noises.
alargo at 10:55 AM JST - 2nd June

I was going to say that I wanted one, but listening to that link above changed my mind. I couldn't listen to more than a few seconds of it and I'm a couple of decades out of hearing range. What's up with that? You won't see me in the park, that's for sure.

The teens are only doing what they were programmed to do by their parents, so the parents should be obliged to listen to these tortuous sounds in much the same way that the rest of us are obliged to tolerate their devil-spawn.
usaexpat at 12:07 AM JST - 4th June

Brilliant idea, can we get one of these at Amu Plaza?
societymike at 05:29 PM JST - 4th June

FYI, that link of the mp3 ringtone is a SIMULATED version of the actual 17kh sound, it's not the actual sound. It's made so everyone can hear it.

This idea is awesome, I will install one in my parking lot to stop vandal kids from trying to break into my cars.
bdiego at 06:13 PM JST - 5th June

I like what these devices can do, but unfortunately they're also indiscriminate in affecting babies and some adults. Classical music and opera are much better choices - even soothing for everybody else.