We're actually not dogs, thanks.

"You'd see them start gather and in a very short time they would just leave. And then, in two to three days, maybe four days, they weren't even coming back," he said. "So what happened is that they found some other place to go, obviously, but they didn't even come back to that place anymore."

But why?

"a ringing in his ears that he would later describe as sounding "worse than nails on a blackboard."

...

Tell me, what group does this blurb sound like it is addressing? Raccoons? Dogs? Mmm, actually no. It's teenagers.

The NP reports:
.....
"The 17-year-old's disappointment at finding the Mississauga, Ont., restaurant's front doors locked at 11 p. m. was eclipsed by annoyance as he became vaguely aware of a ringing in his ears that he would later describe as sounding "worse than nails on a blackboard."

Unbeknownst to Mr. Singh, a device emitting an irritating high-frequency sound audible only to people under 25 had been installed outside the restaurant to scatter young crowds known to loiter in the area after hours."
.....

Excuse me if I interrupt the painfully irritating that only I can hear, but believe it or not, just because we're under 25 doesn't mean we should be treated like dogs, you disrespectful maniacs.

.....
"Ultrasonic technology used in this way should be regarded as criminal assault. Directing sound waves aggressively with intent to create harm, annoyance or distress would be unlawful in most civilized countries," Simon Davies, director of Privacy International and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, wrote in an e-mail.

"The technique is not only a gross invasion of privacy, but is also an assault on human dignity. The technology should be swiftly outlawed."
.....

Thank you! I admit that much of the loitering and vandalism is committed by people under 25, but I hardly think that accounts for all of it. And even if it did, I find this method of keeping "youth" away from places a gross violation of human rights. Perhaps it is an obscure violation, in that it doesn't break any laws or anything like that, but creating our own little dog whistles to keep us in check is beyond degrading. It may do the trick in keeping youths from loitering, but in doing so it treats them like animals, and assumes the worst from anyone under 25.

***
Hypothetical situation:
Let's say I'm driving along, on my way to, I don't know, church. Or some "youths for the future" conference. Or a meeting with the Queen of England. Something really promising. Suddenly, my tire pops and I have to swurve to the side of the road to call for assistance so I can make it to my super-do-gooder-future-of-society-type engagement. Unfortunately for me, I happened to pop my tire beside a convenience store, and when I go outside to see what the problem is, I experience an unbearable buzzing in my ear. At this point, I would probably hop in my car and turn on the radio, but the battery is rather low, and I'm not allowed to idle anymore. So I withstand the buzzing until my brain feels like it's going to explode and shout into my cellphone for roadside assistance to come rescue me. (Luckily my cellphone was charged!)

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of nails scratching down the longest chalkboard ever, the roadside assistance guy shows up. Maybe he's even cute. Unfortunately for both of us, he's 23 years old. So when he leans down to fix my tire, he begins to experience the same unexplained ringing in his ears that I had been experiencing. Although I'm relieved I'm not crazy when he tells me he hears it too, my promising future crumbles in front of me when he informs me that he cannot stay to fix the tire, and the only other guys working the shift that night are also under 25. You see, he knows all about the new Mosquito Ultrasonic Teen Repellent Devices that are at work here. He may be cute, folks, but he leaves me in the dust at the side of the road where I'm not only now alone and unsafe, but in the midst of the most painfully annoying sound I've ever heard...and it just won't quit. Too bad I can't call anyone to come get me in at least the next two hours because I'm out of town on a long drive to meet with the Queen. And too bad that meeting started twenty minutes ago!
***

Okay, far-fetched or not, that situation must have at least vaguely pointed out why these silly devices are a bad idea. Not only would they make situations such as that (brilliant) hypothetical one possible, but they also seriously demean those of us who are under 25. We're not all criminals. And even the criminals don't deserve to be treated like dogs before the commit an offence. Also, hearing this painful buzzing might be rather upsetting to your body, as it presents clear discomfort.

.....
"What you see with this technology is that it becomes more and more easy to invade a person's space, except now we're [no longer] talking about the territorial space of a home, but we're actually talking about the physical parameters of the body," he said.

"Traditionally the safeguard for all this was consent. An officer at a border can't just search you at will or do a body cavity search -- God forbid -- or something really invasive to your body. Likewise, a doctor can't do any kind of procedure without your consent. So, what you're seeing [with some ultrasonic technology] is the application of a technology that impacts clearly on the central nervous system."
.....

This guy makes a good point:

.....
"So, if I am a business owner and I have a convenience store and I have people dealing drugs outside the store or people just hanging out and customers don't come into the store, what do I do? Do I go broke? Do I just pack up my company and go away?"
.....

Except not. If someone is dealing drugs outside your store, you call the cops, genius.