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Ringtone Only the Young Can Hear
OK, this story is almost two years old, but still I find that many people haven’t “heard” it, so here it is. There’s a ringtone spreading around that can be heard by “the young” but not by “the old.” I have tested the ringtone on people of all ages, and here are some of the responses I’ve received:
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Age 40: ”I can’t hear a thing.”
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Age 12: “Ouch! Turn that down!”
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Age 50: “I can’t hear anything but that’s hurting my head!”
A high-pitched sound that was first used as a mosquito repellent, then as a teenager repellent, has been repurposed into a ringtone that kids can use to receive phone calls or text messages without their parents or teachers hearing the ring.
For an amusing demonstration, gather family or coworkers around your computer, set your speaker volume at a comfortably loud level, and go to this Mosquito Ringtone web site. Scroll down on the page and choose from the variously-pitched ringtones and see who can hear what.
If you care to read or listen to various news or web articles to learn more, try these links:
15 comments on this post
Wow that is pretty interesting. At age 24 I can only hear 16 kHz and below. They say as you age your ability to hear high frequencies degrades. When I first joined the Navy in 2002, I could hear 21 KHz
Far out…
I played this at work and I could hear the thing perfectly (with my 32 year-old ears – I told you, mom – the blaring music when I was 16 really DIDN’T affect my hearing!), but my 40 year-old partner thought I was losing my mind – she couldn’t hear a thing…
(These kids are getting smarter every year.)
I’m treading water in the sea of technology and quickly running out of energy.
@Bull,
I’ve been 24 years old for almost 30 years, so that’s actually not bad according to the chart. I know my hearing suffered from years of live shows by Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Yes, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, ZZ Topp, etc.
Using the Teen Buzz site I referenced, I can hear the 12kHz tone but not the 14kHz tone or higher.
@Sean,
You may not know how loud music affected your hearing till later in life! But, hey, I STILL like loud music.
Kelly
I can hear all of them using headphones, but only up to 18 without… but there are some noises in the background.
Chris (and others),
If you crank up the volume too much, you will get harmonics (basically, distortion) of the main frequency–both higher and lower frequencies. You may be hearing the lower harmonics and not the main frequency.
Kelly
I’m going to use it if I’m in a mall with too many teenagers loitering or causing trouble. Personally, I think this will actually work against teens!!
I was able to hear every single one of those Mosquito ring tones at low level! I’m 54 so I guess i took care of those ears of mine well when I mixed live music small venues (i.e. bars), by wearing ear filters (NOT plugs). I recommend that anyone who goes to loud concerts or works at noisy environments, get a pair of ear filters (available at music instrument web sites). These filters let you hear everything, but they cut the decibel levels above a certain volume to protect your ears.
Bari,
I know you’re right about protecting your ears, but if you are 54 and can hear all those tones, you are probably blessed with more than just good sense but also genetically superior hearing ability. I’ve encountered lots of 40-50 year olds who never listened to loud music and they couldn’t hear the ringtone. Hearing diminishes with age. How you escaped that natural effect, I don’t know. Have you been drinking from some hidden fountain deep in the forest???
Kelly
I guess something’s wrong with me because I am thirteen and I can only hear the 14 kHz one!! That means I should be over 45!!!
Amanda,
).
I wouldn’t be concerned. It’s very possible that the speakers you are using aren’t capable of playing the higher tones. So, it may not be your ears but rather your speakers. Just enjoy being 13! (BTW–I have a daughter who is 13. And she NEVER reads my blog!
Kelly
Wow Kelly,
That was sure nice of you to not let Bari know that if he’s 54 and hearing every single frequency it’s because his sound card sucks like mine…by the time it gets to 20 kHz it’s so far distorted it’s easier to hear then 17 kHz…he should try it on an older cell phone..the newer media cellphones that play the sound from a larger speaker (that can hit lower frequencies) even those usually can’t play 16 kHz accurately. this was very disappointing to me with my last phone…samsung upstage.
John,
Yeah, I’m sure it was distortion in the sound card.
Kelly
Went to the website. Could hear all the way down to 22 kHz, no prob. is that normal?
Or UP to, as the case might be.
C Riddle,
If you can hear up to 22kHz, either your hearing is phenomenal, or your speakers are distorting and you’re hearing the lower harmonics of the signal, meaning you’re not really hearing the higher tone. That happens if I crank my speakers up as high as they’ll go–they distort. If I set volume at about medium, I think their output is more accurate.
Kelly
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