Company
How teenagers should be piqued with a beep
An ultrasonic noise transmitter from the Mosquito brand is installed at the Kasteneck School in Freiburg. photo
© Julian Rettig/dpa
For some they mean noise, for others peace. Noise transmitters are intended to drive away noisy young people. Cities hope to protect themselves from vandalism – representatives of youth work are sounding the alarm.
They beep and are intended to drive away young people: Noise transmitters are used in some European countries and also in German cities. The acoustic signal emitted by the systems is between 16 and 18 kilohertz, according to the company selling them. This means that only young people and adults up to the age of 25 can hear it.
A principle that is known from marten deterrence. The “ZDF Magazin Royale” recently discussed the devices in an article and thus triggered a public debate.
Beep against vandalism
Two such systems have been in use in Freiberg am Neckar near Stuttgart since March 2021. You are on the premises of the Kasteneck elementary school, which is not accessible to the public. “The devices were installed there because young people repeatedly – illegally – gained access to the area that is not open to the public in the evening and at night and there was repeated, considerable damage to property through vandalism,” explains a spokeswoman for the city.
There were four cases of massive vandalism there between May 2020 and March 2021. Since the systems were put into operation, incidents in the entrance area have decreased significantly. But: “Even after the devices have been installed, there is still littering and cases of vandalism on the extensive school grounds,” says the spokeswoman.
In Freiberg am Neckar, the devices will continue to be used in the future, says the spokeswoman. Elsewhere they are dismantled. According to the district office in the district of Reutlingen, a system of the now well-known product “Mosquito” was installed in the courtyard of a vocational school. At the end of March it was dismantled after a request from ZDF. According to the district office, vandalism was also the background to the assembly there.
“Societally highly problematic”
Criticism of such measures comes from the state working group Mobile Youth Work/Streetwork based in Stuttgart. “Societally, it is highly problematic that young people are seen as a problem, especially where they meet,” says executive officer Christiane Hillig.
It is just as problematic that young people are mentioned in the same breath as vandalism. “A picture is drawn here that probably means that local solutions are not sought together with young people, but that they are only to be driven out of places.” According to the state working group, the noise transmitters are not an appropriate response to perceived disturbances in public spaces.
The Municipal Association for Youth and Social Affairs Baden-Württemberg (KVJS) sees it similarly. “From the point of view of the KVJS state youth welfare office, methods of deterring and repressing are not considered sensible from an educational point of view, but rather counterproductive, since they can provoke counter-reactions in young people because of the feeling of rejection,” explains a spokeswoman. A sensible approach to combating vandalism is the acceptance and inclusion of young people in public space. As an example, she cites the master plan for youth spaces in the city of Stuttgart. It serves to develop public spaces for young people.
“Noise pollution is a serious problem”
Donald van der Laan, on the other hand, sees the “Mosquito” noise transmitter as a solution to a serious problem for local residents. “Noise pollution is a serious problem,” says the managing director of Rhine Consulting Group BV. According to the company, which is based in the Netherlands, it has exclusively taken over the distribution of the devices in German-speaking countries. In Germany, the company has sold “several hundred” of the devices since 2016, says van der Laan.
Customers are, for example, municipalities, schools or banks with parks. In the Netherlands, the devices are much more widespread. The managing director explains that demand increased in all markets during the pandemic. A “Mosquito” system, including installation, costs around 1,300 euros.
The device was developed in England in 2005. Since then, it has also been further developed, says van der Laan. In the beginning, like in the district of Reutlingen, a timer was used. Then motion detectors were used to trigger the signal. “But he only evaluates the movement, not the behavior,” says van der Laan himself. According to the managing director, residents in Rotterdam now have the opportunity to switch on the devices by making a call for a period of 15 minutes. “The young people can then leave or behave in such a way that the devices are no longer needed.”