The sonic device can be seen in the Barrett Playground in Philadelphia (upper right). Thirty parks in the city have this kind of equipment, and they emit constant, high-pitched noises that only teenagers and young adults can hear. Kimberly Paynter/WHYY hide caption

The sonic device can be seen in the Barrett Playground in Philadelphia (upper right). Thirty parks in the city have this kind of equipment, and they emit constant, high-pitched noises that only teenagers and young adults can hear.

In Philadelphia, 30 parks and recreation centers are equipped with a small speaker called Mosquito. It rang a constant, sharp ring all night—but only teenagers and young adults could hear it.

Anyone over the age of 25 should be immune, because basically, their ear cells have already begun to die.

According to WHYY’s Billy Penn, Philadelphia Park officials have been installing the device since 2014, intending to drive noisy young people out of the venue.

It is not the only American city to do so. The Vancouver-based manufacturer of Mosquito, Moving Sound Technologies, has worked with approximately 20 park departments across the country to implement mosquito repellent devices for young people, said Michael Gibson, president.

It aims to prevent teenagers and young people from wandering and vandalizing in public facilities. But some people say that this age-based positioning is a kind of prejudice.

Helen Gym, a member of the Philadelphia City Council, referred to these devices as "sonic weapons"-she is working to remove them.

"In a city that is trying to solve gun violence and safe spaces for young people," Gym said, "How dare we come up with the idea of ​​taxpayer money to keep young people away from the places created for them?"

It makes us feel like animals. Not all teenagers are bad, just because we want to go out to get some fresh air at night.

"It does feel a bit [discriminatory] against teenagers," Lamar Reed, a 17-year-old Philadelphia resident, agreed. "It makes us feel like animals. Not all teenagers are bad, just because we want to go out to breathe fresh air at night."

Although the expected target range is 13 to 25 years old, 27-year-old Mary Kate Riecks said she could hear mosquitoes installed a few blocks from her Fishtown home. She said that when she was walking nearby, it gave her a headache.

"It's almost more like a feeling than a sound. It's kind of behind your head," Ricks said. "At least for me, it will give me a headache if I stay close to it for too long. So I usually skip this block or walk fast."

Riecks is close to her tipping point-she and her roommates have been brainstorming plans to knock on the door to organize the community against the device and work to remove it.

There is a precedent for banning mosquitoes. Places around the world have rejected the device.

Officials in Washington, DC installed anti-child noise devices at the Gallery Place subway station in 2010. The National Youth Rights Association disputed this effort almost immediately, and members filed complaints alleging age discrimination. The city eventually asked manufacturers to remove these devices.

Brian Conner, the 20-year-old NYRA president, said: “By getting people’s attention, we can turn it into a big event. We can make it clear that if they continue to use it, they will encounter a lot of Troublesome equipment."

In 2008, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child urged the United Kingdom to “reconsider... as far as possible mosquito devices that violate children’s rights”. Since then, several counties in England have followed suit and banned the use of the device in certain public places.

But in Philadelphia, Parks & Recreation defended its use of Mosquito, saying that these devices only operate from 10pm to 6am, and they only include fences and gates, security cameras, and personnel on duty.

Currently, the city is advancing the installation. Despite strong opposition, two new Mosquito devices are being installed in other urban playgrounds as part of a major renovation project.