Acoustic ‘youth dispersal’ devices are a danger to children’s hearing and should be banned immediately, the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe ruled unanimously last week. The devices, designed to be audible only to people under the age of 20, are installed in public places such as shopping centres, to deter youngsters from loitering. The Council of Europe says they discriminate against young people, treating them like ‘unwanted birds or pests’. Some 3,500 dispersal devices are installed in the UK, more than any other European state.