Take a listen to this audio clip. Be Careful, the sound (if you can hear like a teenager) is loud and annoying (it’s not called a mosquito ringtone for nothing). You may want to turn down your computer speakers and turn up gradually to test a comfortable sound level.
Mosquito Ringtone – Can you Hear Like a Teenager?
[audio:http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/test_tone_teenager.mp3|titles=audio]What do you hear? If you don’t hear anything, you’re not alone. You’re probably over the age of 25. If you can hear it, then you likely find it fairly annoying.
Get downloads of Mosquito Ringtones
As we age, the little hairs in our inner ear lose some of their function and we begin to lose our hearing in the very high frequency ranges. Tones like the one above are sometimes used by teens for their cell phone ring tones so their teachers can’t hear their phone ringing in class (where cell phones are usually banned). The teacher, who is likely older than 25, has some degree of hearing loss and is oblivious to the ring.
Another ingenious use of this concept comes in a $1500 package called the “Mosquito”, which is an anti-teen loitering device. The device is placed wherever teen loitering is unwanted, with the idea being that teens will find it so annoying that they’ll go somewhere else. Adults, on the other hand are not bothered by the tone because they can’t hear it.
In any case, if you can’t hear the tone, don’t feel bad – it just means you’re getting wiser.
If you liked this article, please check out our High Frequency Hearing Test to see just how high your hearing actually goes.
I am 14 and I can’t hear this, I asked my bro who is 15 and he can hear it
My brother and I can hear upwards of 24,000 hz. Frequency generators <3
That’s impossible, the human ear can hear from 20H-20kH
I tried the hearing test and cannot hear anything over 14khz. Pretty
bad huh?
Why don’t you have the lower freq checks as well?
Thanks for the test.
Roy
“In any case, if you can’t hear the tone, don’t feel bad it just means you’re getting wiser.” So you think people get wiser when they age? It’s as true as saying people get more retarded with age. BTW I’m 32 and I can hear that sound. Bad luck for those morons who wants to sell devices to annoy teenagers (what a retarded idea anyway).
I’m almost 60 and I could hear just the low frequencies up to 16 KHZ. Do I have a problem to treat?
Thanks,
Kelly Job
I didn’t find it annoying, I found it beautiful, since I’m 29 and heard it just fine.
that’s so funny i’m 28 and can hear it from my left ear. but if i face my right ear to the speaker it fades out. i don’t think my right side can pick it up at all. should check for wax buildup
28 here and I can easily hear it.
I have always heard higher frequencies than most other people, when I was 16 I was tested and could hear above 22kHz. I can still hear “silent” dog whistles, flourescent lighting and the “whine” of CRT TVs.
I can’t go near McDonalds in UK cause they all have these stupid “anti loitering” devices outside the front doors – I have to plug my ears and run past. It’s not just the high frequency that is annoying – but that it’s so LOUD. It’s incredibly painful, even with my ears plugged the sound comes through the bones in my skull… It’s disgusting that these devices are legal and they should be banned. I’d rather walk past a bunch of unruly teenagers than that god-awful sound.
Today there was a shop near my workplace that was testing one of these Anti loitering devices; the sound was earsplitting and I had to go outside and tell them to turn the damn thing off. If they end up using it on a daily basis I swear to god I’m going to walk in there with a klaxon until they get rid of it…
I’m 30, and I was perfectly able to hear it.
i am 13 and i can hear 16 KHz
Ack! I’m 17 and it sounds horrible!
I’m 14 and it didn’t feel like a sound, it was like it was played right next to my ears, quite piecing but I sing high stuff all the time so I can’t tell if it’s reaally bad 😉
That’s below 17 kHz because I can hear it. I’m only 25, but I f*cked up my hearing good. Until last July I could hear everything up to and exceeding 19 kHz. I used to be appalled at the very young people blasting their ears on Ipods. No I’m appalled at the way I treated my own ears. My TV doesn’t just suck. It F*****G sucks. I’m too poor (and stupid) to afford something better. However, I stopped caring about my life and decided to become a full time gamer–I used to average reading a couple books a month aside from school, but now I’m down to a couple of books a year. I plugged my headphones into my TV to play countless hours of video games (something I never did till last July). No one needed to tell me about the risks. I would advise any young people to avoid headphone use unless they have a good reason to use them and they can control the magnitude and frequency of the sound very precisely. It’s a bitter experience to be the sole cause of your own hearing loss.
I can hear it but not at annoying level…
Can hear up to 18k, 19K not so much… Can hear 19k just about on my Mackie HR-624 mk1 monitors using a function generator. I’m 25 male
i am 26 years old and i heard it and now i have a headache thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[…] music is not only for enjoyment, but also as a deterrent tool. A commenter even suggested using a high frequency sound only teenagers can hear (or mosquito tones), to stop them from loitering. […]
[…] can hear the test signal linked here fine: Hearing test: Can you hear like a teenager? | NoiseAddicts music and audio but I can't hear above 15 khz on the page linked in the OP… […]
I did the test and I could hear from 8 – 16kHz clearly.. Nothing on 17 and 18 and then clearly on 19 kHz again. On my cheapster Philips earphones for like 8 €.
So I checked with my other earphones. And I can hear all the way till 22kHz on them.
I’m 32. And if you don’t hear all the sounds it may be just your equipement not being able to produce the sounds.
I can hear it clearly even when my earphones are out of my ears and lying on my desk. I shall use it to torture the nasty little teenage children thank wreak havoc in my area with a big speaker.
I’m 40 and can hear it (and it makes me cringe.) My 23-year-old roommate can’t hear it at all.
hey I’m 13 , and i don’t under stand the kHz thing ? lol , what is it !?
HEY! i got my hearing checked by the doctor! i just had a little wax clogg up but its all good now! Im back to hearing better than my wife(;
Hey guys, its me Philli. Just wanted to drop in, two days have pasted and now my wife can hear better than me! Whats up with me!? PLEASE HELP.
Signed,
P M DOR
I’m 38 and I can hear this clip (not loudly, but I definitely can hear it). Yet when doing the other test with the 8 – 22 kHz frequencies, I couldn’t hear a definite beep about 15 kHz. The higher frequencies made some noise, but I can’t discern if it’s just the audio player or if it’s actually the test sound that is barely audible to me. I tested it further with headphones, and 16 – 21 kHz all sounded to me like it’s just the audio player, but then 22 kHz somehow sounds more silent, making me even more confused about whether the slight noise of the 16 to 21 kHz tests are actually just the audio player, or whether I am somehow hearing something of the test sound.
On another note, I find the idea of anti-teen loitering devices ethically disturbing. Not because I worry about the teens; they can hear the noise and walk away from it (which is obviously the point). But I suspect that adults or people with poor hearing would inadvertently be subjected to undesirable side effects from these devices, such as headaches. As many have pointed out, even if you can’t hear a noise doesn’t mean your body can’t sense it in some way, shape, or form. It’s like subliminal noise pollution that is probably harmful to our health.
we’re 13!!! OH YEAH MAMI and we can hear up to 22kHz
mmmmkkaaaooiii! <3
LOVE AND KISSES – SEXI MAMAS 1 AND 2
Wow. I’m 14 an I can only hear up to 16kHz….
12hz clear as a bell. 15hz and above not a whisper. Age 51yrs. Probably caused by the old Sony Walkman (portable tape player from the 80’s).
haha thats so funny im 19 and Im in a room with 3 14 year olds, and when I played that they were all like whats that Noise, but they didnt know where it was from…it is annoying for sure,
I just turned 42 a week ago and I can hear it clearly.
I’m 50 and I cant hear it.
There is a woman at my work that complains of hearing a high pitched noise from the florescent lights above her. It is driving her crazy. I feel fine with my hearing loss, while this irritates her I don’t know what I am missing
So, in other words this test is a complete fail because we older folk can all hear it.
I gotta say it, for someone who listens to heavy metal trough earphones at the loudest volume possible most of my life, (28 btw) I’m very surprised that I could hear that, yet I have trouble with low frequency sounds, often asking people to repeat themselves.
[…] try this! I`ve been torturing my 18 yr, old son for hours lol. I my self only here silence. http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/02/hearing-test-hear-like-teenager/ This is the greatest thing since sliced […]
Everyone needs to understand that even though you’re above the age of 25 and you can still hear it, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It simply means you have exquisite hearing; in fact, consider it a compliment. Some are gifted with excellent hearing their whole life, regardless of how much they’ve gone through.
I bet this high frequency noise damages my hearing. I can only hear up to 19 khz and I am a young adult, however when I go to 20 khz I hear broken noise and silence, sounds like an error with the recording.
cant be right; my dad’s 50, even he can hear this easy, infact, he can hear 21 khz (so can the rest of my family, pretty obvious as all of us are younger than him)
What a pleasant surprise; I’m 53, have been doing music professionally for more than 30 years, and found that annoying as hell. Yay!
I’m 19. I can hear 19kHz and sense 20kHz. I get a faint ringing in my ears after hearing 20. Weird!
Cr*p. I’m 17 and I can’t hear a thing.
You’re going to be needing a hearing aid by the age of 20 then. I’m 26 and can hear this perfectly fine. Something’s wrong with ya ears ya [removed].
I’m turning 22 this year and I can’t hear it either! ='(
I can hear the high, piercing tone, depending on how my head is oriented toward the speakers, but I also hear a lower (still high, but not piercing) tone when my head is turned so that I don’t hear the higher tone well. Odd effect of my environment?
IMO if you have crappy computer speakers you might not hear it, though no one here seems to have had a problem. I have tinnitus in both my ears and it is very annoying — it sounds like a high pitched squeal, but even through it I could hear the tone. I suspect I can hear hire considering the quality of my equipment. Most of my family is deaf. Here is to enjoying your hearing as long as you possibly can. 🙂
AND I BELIEVE THIS: It is never too early to make sure you protect your hearing. Consider ear plugs, plugging your ears when you expect loud sounds (i.e. CC Philadelphia ;))
Peace.
Im 23, im a dj and i can only hear as far as 15…. oh dear
sketchy test…
most consumer grade audio equipment (both the audio card in your computer and the speakers attached to it) are only capable of producing tones up to 20khz (if your lucky and even then often at -6dB, 1/4 loudness of lower frequencies) reasonably flat response to 16khz is more likely.
however your point is valid, i’ve done this test in a lab with a function generator, an amplifier with +-1db response to 25khz and monitors(speakers) rated to the same.
The 60+ year olds in the office could not hear much beyond 13khz.
The younger of the group (i’m 25) could hear to 20khz or higher.
As with low frequencies very high frequencies can be felt as much as they are heard, quite often ~20khz + can be felt in the jaw bone area assuming a reasonable SPL.
Bone conduction is a powerful mechanic in human “hearing”.
I cant so much hear it as sense something uncomfortable. I tried it with my son playing the sound and my eyes closed just to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself.I definately sense something there but I cant hear a thing lol.I’m 48
Amazing..I can hear to 22khz without 16-18 khz band frequency!. 20khz i hear poorly, but 21,22 i hear very good! I`m 32 years old
I’m 51 and can hear 20Khz!I’m quite amazed
I guess I have better hearing than I thought. I can hear this one, and I just turned 36. I’ve worked in very noisy places, wearing a walkman (and now an MP3 player) for 8 hours a day, for the past 10 years. Also didn’t have a problem with the other tones untill I hit 21Khz.
I’m a couple months shy of 38 and I can hear that plain as day. For the most part I’ve tried to take good care of my hearing for the past 15 years or more but it’s not as good as it used to be. When I was a teenager I had no problem at all hearing the 19 khz carrier frequency of some FM stations. I could even hear the high frequency “whine” when somebody turned on a TV in another room, even with the door closed.
I worked in a noisy factory for 9 1/2 years, used to ride sportbikes, still attend NHRA drag races, and shoot guns, and I think I’ve done pretty well compared to most people my age. I’ve spent a good chunk of money on higher-end audio equipment and I want to be able to enjoy it for many years to come.
This can’t be right. I was 20 20 years ago and I can hear it.
SO YOU ARE 2045!? WOW!
What’s your secret?
20+20 isn’t 2045 >_> it’s 40..
if he was 20 20 years ago it means that his current age minus 20 is = 20. 40-20=20…
How are you doing your math.
I was 2020 years ago and I can hear it Posted 2/26/09
2020 + “years ago” + 2 = 2045?
It is 20 “space” 20, not 2020, [removed] you people dont even have a brain or have vision problems? I though this post is for hearing test or vision test?
@ superninja: ha ha ha ha! that is hilarious!
I can hear it and I’m 59. It’s not loud or annoying, though I would wonder where it’s coming from if I didn’t know.
In the hearing test on the other page I don’t hear anything after the 12kHz tone except a tiny ‘tick’ at the starts and ends of the tones.