Let Teens Exist in Public

"My local Target was the first place I noticed the shift. One day, a few years ago, a sign appeared: red text on white paper announcing that no one under 18 would be allowed in without an adult. Before the poster, every weekday afternoon, clots of teens would move through the arteries of the store, occasionally blocking them. The kids would laugh among themselves, swatch makeup on their arms, peruse the candy offerings."

"My Target is just one of many U.S. businesses that have issued restrictions in recent years on unaccompanied minors. These policies are frequently enacted in places where teens like to congregate, such as malls, restaurants, movie theaters, and theme parks. Some places ban teens entirely, or just on certain days or during certain hours. Comprehensive data on how many businesses have these rules are hard to come by. But the anecdotes are piling up."

"Last year, for example, both Cincinnati and Washington, D.C., instituted curfew zones in busy neighborhoods, beginning at 6 p.m. in D.C. and 9 p.m. in Cincinnati. Chicago began banning youth from downtown Millennium Park after 6 p.m. on weekends in 2022. According to the Marshall Project, "more than a dozen cities and counties" established or started enforcing curfew laws in 2023. Adolescents are the obvious target of such policies, because they are far more likely than younger kids to be out unaccompanied."

A local Target posted a sign barring unaccompanied persons under 18, and the store's regular teenage groups stopped congregating. Numerous U.S. businesses have adopted similar restrictions on unaccompanied minors, especially in malls, restaurants, movie theaters, and theme parks; some ban teens entirely or restrict them during particular days or hours. Comprehensive national data are scarce, but observers report an increase in such measures. Several cities and counties have also enacted curfews or enforcement zones, with examples in Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Adolescents are targeted because they are more likely than younger children to be unaccompanied in public spaces.

Read at The Atlantic