Teens everywhere are setting their cell phones on the "mosquito ringtone." The mosquito ringtone is a high pitched sound that many adults over 25 can not hear. Dog whistles have the same idea behind the ringtone. The ringtone, also nicknamed Teen Buzz, is gathering a lot of attention even from CBS News.
Teens use the ringtone so parents and teachers can not hear the phone going off. Teen Buzz has become the new vibrate, yet the whole class can hear it, minus the teacher. This leads us to question why adults can not hear the sound? A phenomenon called presbycusis is the culprit. Adults ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates with age. Perhaps this information will allow us to study ways to prevent or reverse the process. On the other hand a few adults can hear the ringtone. They might be the ones to look to for finding out how and why they can still hear the high frequency. All in all I don't think anyone will feel sorry for the kid whose teacher can hear the teen buzz.
