Phila. uses "The Mosquito" to make loitering teens buzz off

PHILADELPHIA - When city-run playgrounds and recreation centers want to put up the "keep out" sign during off-hours, they are turning to an electronic device known as "The Mosquito" to shoo potential young vandals away, reports CBS Philly.

"The Mosquito", the station reports, is a small speaker that emits a high-frequency tone, which is said to harmless but highly irritating to teenagers and young adults.

"They find it extremely annoying and will leave an area within a couple of minutes," Michael Gibson, the president of Moving Sound Technologies, which manufactures the device, told CBS Philly.

Generally speaking, Gibson says, people over the age of 25 are unaffected by the sonic waves.

Councilman Brian O'Neill explained to the station that the younger age group is who they're looking to keep out of playgrounds when they close at night. The devices are being installed with the hope of reducing vandalism and destructive behavior.

O'Neill's district, which covers Northeast Philadelphia, is among the first to install "The Mosquito" devices and cameras at playgrounds and recreation centers.

"They work in tandem. If, for some reason, something's going on and it doesn't chase them away, we have their photos. And that's worked," O'Neill said.