FYI: New ringtone was originally teen deterrent
Q: Can somebody explain to me how they developed a cell phone ringtone that only teenagers — but not adults — can hear?

A: It's called the price you pay for growing old. Here's how it works, according to information from the New York Times News Service:

That particular ringtone was originally developed by a security company in Wales as a deterrent to teenagers loitering in front of businesses. It was a shrill 17-kilohertz buzz that younger ears could easily hear but was undetected by most adults over 40. The biological name for the slight hearing loss in adults is presbycusis, which is caused by the aging of the hearing mechanisms in humans.

The ringtone sound was originally called the Mosquito, since it was an annoying buzz. The teenagers loitering in front of local businesses in Wales could hear the sound. become annoyed with it and eventually move on. Adults, for the most part, were immune from its effects and thus stayed around to shop in the stores.

But then the whippersnappers turned the tables, taking the Mosquito and using it to their advantage — turning it into a cell phone ringtone audible to them but not to adults. According to the NYT story, a first-grade teacher tested it on her classroom. All of her students could hear it, but neither she nor a fellow teacher could.

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Author -
Publication Lyfkin Dail News
Date 12 June 2006
Link www.lufkindailnews.com