There’s a weapon in wide circulation today that works on anyone under the age of 25. It’s called The Mosquito. Four years after its invention, debate still surrounds the use of The Mosquito. This £500 device emits a sound totally inaudible to anyone over the age of 25 and has been used to discourage young people from congregating in groups.

Last Monday, the Home Secretary was asked to ban the devise (he refused) and 16 year old Andrew Deans is preparing a motion to go before the Scottish Youth Parliament calling for The Mosquito to be banned.

Having read a little about its conception, I find it quite ironic that the device was invented after a man’s teenage daughter was unable to enter a shop owing to a large crowd of young people outside. Why anyone would invent something that could potentially be used against his own child is beyond me.

Reduces crime?

There is much support for the device from people who have personally experienced the threatening feeling of large crowds of youngsters. Back in 2006, one shop keeper reported a 84% reduction in calls to the local police after installing a device.

Indiscriminate

However, the device is indiscriminate. It does not know if the young person in ear shot is being unruly. It does not know if the young person is in fact only 2 years old. Howard Stapleton, the inventor of The Mosquito, is reported to have said, “As a father I realise the majority of young people are fun-loving and law abiding.” That being the case, I can not help but wonder why we are targeting the majority. If the comment left in his name is genuine, it appears that Mr Stapleton shares my concerns. Writing in response to Andrew Dean’s motion before the Scottish Youth Parliament, he said,

“Since I launched the Mosquito I have campaigned for legislation to ensure its fair and correct use but to no avail…My device has been proven to transform lives but I acknowledge that they are sometimes misused. This is why I have developed the remote controlled system that would allow the Police to make the decision if the use of the Mosquito was justified. To do any of this I need the support of ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers). With their support I will remove the Mosquito from Public sale for use in a public areas unless permission for use has been granted by the authorities.”

Frustration

As a parent of three children under the age of 25, I am very unhappy to think that taking them shopping could potentially cause them discomfort should we enter a shop with The Mosquito installed. Having read Mr Stapleton’s comments above, coupled with the Home Secretary’s assertion that they should be used, but that “they have to be used carefully” I find myself becoming increasingly frustrated.

If someone were to install a device that caused discomfort to all dog walkers in an attempt to reduce dog fouling, there would be public outcry. Suggestions that devices aimed at the elderly be installed to reduce the number of car accidents caused by older, slower drivers would be met with disdain.

And yet for the last four years, we have been using such a devise on the ears of everyone under the age of 25, regardless of their age or behaviour. It doesn’t seem right. The inventor agrees (and has invented a solution.) The home secretary agrees. Why haven’t these two gentleman had a conversation?!

Disrespectful and unkind

It feels like proof, once again, that we would rather invest our time and energy into herding young people into a straight jacket, until such time as they pass through adolescence and enter adulthood. Having done so, they’ll spend the next 40 years wishing they were back at school, before one day waking up to find that they’ve become the adult by whom they were once so looked down upon and now instead, they are the ones doing the looking down on.

photo credit: moonlightbulb