Human rights advocates are calling for a ban on sonic devices used to stop young people from loitering in public spaces.

The devices emit high frequencies which can only be heard by people aged 25 or under.

A number of shopping malls and businesses are deploying the so-called 'mosquito devices' to combat what they describe as anti-social behaviour.

Zak Wazir is the owner of VSP, which sells security equipment across Australia.

He says he sells hundreds of the devices each year.

"You'll find they're used in places such as car park operators, councils where they use them in parks and car parks, they're used in some shopping centres. Schools also use them".

A sonic security device. ( ABC News )

"They're not turned on, they're not used throughout the day or 24 hours a day. They're generally used only after dark when they have loitering problems".

Sonic security devices used around the clock

Melissa Seymour-Dearness, principal solicitor at the Taylor Street Community Legal Center in Queensland's Fraser Coast region, received a number of complaints from young people, including a supermarket employee, about a high-pitched piercing sound they could hear at a local shopping centre in 2016.

"As a first step, we contacted centre management and they told us that it was installed particularly for that purpose to deter people from loitering. It was on 24 hours a day and they said that it was actually for the purpose of deterring people during business hours. So they didn't want people loitering at the front of the stall," she told RN Breakfast.

The device was eventually removed from the shopping centre, but Ms Seymour-Dearness wants to see a national ban. And she has spent the last two years writing to various community leaders and politicians about the issue.

"The response we've received to date has been sympathetic, but ultimately no-one has been willing to take any action", she said.

Young children and babies might not be able to verbalise the distress they experience when exposed to the sonic devices. ( University of Queensland )

A 'sonic assault' on young people

While the devices are not banned, National Children's Commissioner Megan Mitchell is "deeply concerned by any device that has the potential to discriminate against and/or cause harm to young people through sonic assault."

"I have requested that the Australian Local Government Association raise awareness among councils of the potentially harmful impacts of the device on young people. I will continue to monitor this issue," she said in a statement.

In 2010, the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental human rights organisation, found the use of acoustic devices to disperse children and young people was a disproportionate interference with their rights under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It's still unclear who is using these sonic devices in Australia.

The ABC has contacted every state and territory local government association in the country. Only South Australia, Queensland and NSW responded. They said they were not aware of any councils using such devices.

Council of Small Business of Australia CEO Peter Strong said he hoped no businesses were considering using the mosquito devices.

"It seems quite a shallow response to a much serious problem about young people who are loitering around because they've got nothing to do," he said.

"People could be walking past and all of a sudden they've got acute hearing problems and they get affected by it, and that's wrong".

But Zak Wazir from VSP says the devices are not discriminatory.

"It's targeting those that are loitering around car parks and schools and shopping malls after hours when they're not meant to be," he said.

"When a shopping mall is closed, it's closed. The car park is not there for juveniles to hang around and conduct anti-social behaviour.

"When they're set up correctly, and in most cases we believe they are, they won't be turned on and they won't be used [during the] day or that time of the evening when shopping malls and shopping centres are still open. That's not the idea of this product at all."

Long term effects on children unclear

In Scotland, the Children and Young People's Commissioner Bruce Adamson successfully stopped trains operator ScotRail from using the mosquito device at several train stations.

He's now campaigning to have the devices banned, claiming they are discriminatory and may cause harm and distress.

"I'm very concerned about the fact that we don't know the effect this has on young children and babies who might not be able to verbalise the distress that they're in," he said.

"Particularly children and young people with autism or other neuro-diverse conditions that may be sound frequency sensitive," Mr Adamson said.

The ABC contacted various product safety regulatory bodies about the regulatory framework for the mosquito device.

"Bans and mandatory standards are only made when evidence indicates a risk of serious injury, illness or death associated with a product," Consumer Affairs Victoria said in a statement.

The UK company which invented the mosquito device, Compound Security Systems, said it was safe and is not loud or painful — just highly annoying.