Cell phone ring tone adults can't hear, But kids can Options

[dauss]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...4B?OpenDocument

Kids can hear it, but their teachers probably can't. A high-pitched ring tone allows students to exchange text messages during class without older ears hearing the cell phones ring.

Local teens say that the ear-piercing ring - nicknamed Teen Buzz - would be fun to use but is not necessary for in-class text messaging.

"You can just put your phone on vibrate or silent and watch the light go off," said Caroline Renfro, who just graduated from Clayton High School.

The tone originally was used in Wales as a loitering deterrent called the Mosquito Teen Repeller. Now teens have created their own version of the piercing sound and are selling it on the Internet for $2.99.

The downloadable ring tone, which could be heard - or not - this spring in East Coast classrooms, is moving west. Katy Scabaugh, 17, of Webster Groves High School, has heard about the high-frequency ring but has not used it, she said as she and classmate Wendy Kogel, 17, sunned themselves Monday at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex pool.

"I've heard that it hurts your ears," Scabaugh said.

Other local teens said that they would use the downloadable ring tone.

"I think I would probably get it and use it but probably not during class," said Gennie Palmer, 13, from Annunciation School in Webster Groves. "It's mean to teachers. It's their job to help you learn. I can wait till recess to talk to friends."

Grace Rice, 13, also a student at Annunciation, said: "I'd pay for it and use it during class. It gets pretty boring taking notes in class."

Teen Buzz does not appear to have become prevalent in local schools. "I haven't heard that this ring tone is a problem or an issue here," said Cindy Gibson, assistant to the superintendent for communications in the Ritenour School District.

At 17,000 Hertz, Teen Buzz falls within the highest of pitches noticeable to humans, who can hear as low as 40-50 Hz and as high as 20,000 Hz.

"Because the range of hearing varies greatly in individuals, it is possible that the teachers who do not hear this ring tone have never been able to hear up to the 17,000 range," said Stanton Jones, an audiologist at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. "Or age-related hearing loss may make the tone undetectable."

Children can hear high pitches. "Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, begins around age 35 with the highest pitches being lost first," Jones said.

So will the ring tone add to hearing loss?

Hearing these high-pitched ring tones should not accelerate hearing loss as long as the volume is not too high, Jones said.

http://www.freemosquitoringtone.com/?gclid...CFQxfSgod3lKBsQ
download and try it out for yourself. It seems to be related to how good your speakers are. I played it out of these 8 year old + altec lansing speakers and I could barely hear it. I then played it out of my laptop speakers and it was piercing.