I think they are targetting the groups of teenagers that hang around retail stores or public places & cause trouble. You know, i think if they did a study they'd find that a teen on his/her own will not likely talk back, be disrespectful of others or others' property, or even break the law. It's when there is a group of kids who egg each other on, that they are more likely to feel more brave and brazen, being rude, breaking the law, etc. Stores can't do anything, really, to deal with these kids & they have to catch them in the act in order for the cops to get involved.

One of our smaller neighbouring towns opened up a new convenience store/gas station a few years ago. The local teens decided this was a cool new hangout & the store owners had so many problems with shoplifting, vandalism & customer complaints that they talked of closing down. The teens would hang out in the parking lot, smoking, fighting, etc. & would even refuse to let customers near the doors to get into the store. Other than loitering, there was nothing that the police could really nab them for. Anyways, the store owner decided to blast classical music & jazz & opera in the store & through the outdoor speakers. Within a week the kids had all vanished!!!! The customers urged the owners to continue the music & to this day, there are never any teens that stay for long!

It is too bad that such a device is needed. When I was a teenager, and a storekeeper came out and told a group of us that we were disturbing customers and had to leave, we LEFT. It was a small town, and our names were known. If the storekeeper called our parents about our misbehavior, well, we'd be in BIG trouble. Now, parents would file a lawsuit against the store owner. Also, if the storekeeper called the police, that would be HUGE trouble for us. We knew when to SHUT UP and when to do what we were told, and we still had FUN.

The issue here is gangs of teenagers. These gangs are dangerous. Check out www.dailymail.co.uk and you will see that day after day there is another death caused by these roaming gangs of drunken teenagers. It is actually a really bad problem in England right now (there are grocery stores that sell alcoholic beverages for less than a bottle of water.) Once they start showing respect for others they will receive respect.

In response to Jennifer: Isn't that what police are for?

In response to Jennifer-
The Daily Mail is little more than a glorified tabloid. I highly doubt the problem of "roaming gangs of drunken teenagers" is as bad as the Daily Mail makes it out to be.

Thank you for sticking up for us teenagers.
I was reading my mail, and I came across this story. I read it and the comments. And I must say, most of these comments are downright rude and ignorant! Yes, there are gangs of unruly teenagers out there, but not all teenagers are like them!
Think about this device and what it does for a second- it is incredibly painful to hear, and for people sensitive to loud noises (like me), it could end up making them sick.
Now think about this- would YOU really want to hear that? If you would, then you are a sick individual. If you would not, then why would you put kids through the torture? And yes, that is pretty much torture.
Think about what you are saying before you say it, because if half the things you people said in your comments is what you really mean, then I'm sorry but you people are very sick and ignorant.

*QUOTE*I think its high time people stop treating children as second-class citizens and start recognizing them for what they really are: complete human beings deserving of all rights and respect afforded to adults. */QUOTE*

Then they should also be treated as adults when they commit the crimes. You want the rights and respect of an adult? You get the responsibility and judgements of adults too. No free rides!

Do you STILL think they should be treated as something they are not? Adults.

Your post is great in "Utopia" but we are talking about unruly kids/teenagers. Of course, kids should be treated with certain rights and respects but not EQUALLY to adults. If that were the case, then there would be charges brought against all of them for loitering and possibly other charges like gang activity or nuisance charges, etc. My point, it sounds great what you are saying but kids are kids and they need supervision almost constantly (even at those higher teen ages.) I think the shop owners are trying to save their businesses and I do not fault them. It seems sad, yes, but I understand why they do this.
Mrs. Kresley
Mother of four (5, 6, 13 & 15 years)

If teens act like responsible adults, adults will treat them accordingly. All of us have been there, done that, so don't preach to the choir.

Amy, when you go to one of these stores with your kids, and they are all crying in pain because they have the bad luck to have good hearing, tell me again that you understand why they do it. Tell me you're going to keep subjecting your kids to that, because hey, gotta shop, right?

I am not saying kids should have all the responsibility and consequences of adults. I'm saying that they are humans and entitled to basic human rights, which many people seem to disagree with. Children are unable to defend themselves. They cannot fight for their rights, so their parents must fight for them, but in mant cases, the parent is the problem. Some people see children simply as 'adults in-waiting', entirely without value because they must be supported. And I'm saying that this way of thinking is plain wrong. Children deserve respect. Humans deserve human rights, no matter what age they are. Let's be more specific and stick to the subject at hand. How about Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted and proclaimed by UN General Assembly resolution December 10, 1948):
"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

Respect is earned; if you don't respect the rights of others, you don't deserve their respect. And no one, child or adult, has the right to impede or disturb others in a public place. Why should children be allowed to get away with threatening and uncivil behavior? When adults do this, they are subject to arrest and prosecution. My guess would be that your child's behavior mimics your own sense of superiority and entitlement.

I replied to Karen, but it ended up on the fourth page.

To everyone who is reading my original comment above and twisting it around: I NEVER said children should be treated like adults. I NEVER said that children should act like adults. In fact, you are exactly the kind of person that truly needs to understand my statement. Read carefully: Just because someone is young, does not mean they are less deserving of basic human rights.

This article is talking about indiscriminately torturing people, the majority of whom are doing nothing wrong. This device isn't a ray gun that the shop owners can point at the offending party. It is audible to every child and teenager in the vicinity. Even some adults.