Malls set curfews for teens

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Chaz Brewer visits the upscale St. Louis Galleria mall about once a week, checking out clothing stores like Aeropostale and American Eagle and hanging out in the food court.

But come April 20, he can't visit the mall by himself on a Friday or Saturday night, under a new policy that prohibits teens 16 and under after 3 p.m. unless they have a parent or guardian with them.

Brewer, 16, doesn't plan on cruising the mall on a Friday night with his Mom. "That's like a party pooper, for real," he said.

Teenagers across the nation are facing similar dilemmas. Malls looking to restore what they call a family-friendly environment are putting policies into place requiring that younger teens have adult supervision during certain hours, almost always on the weekend.

Mall officials say the policies cut back on unruly behavior and loitering that can turn off other shoppers; teens charge they're being singled out for the bad behavior of a few.

At least 40 malls out of 1,100 in the United States have put teen curfew and escort policies into effect. The majority of those policies have started since 2004, according to data collected by the International Council of Shopping Centers, a New York-based shopping center trade organization. The organization said it could not predict if more policies will be put into place.

In the malls with the policies, security is usually stationed at doors or throughout the shopping center on Friday and Saturday afternoons or evenings. Teens who are not escorted by an adult, usually 21 or older, are asked for identification. If they can't prove they're old enough to be alone or that they're with an adult, their parents are called to pick them up. If the kids refuse to cooperate, police could be called.

"These policies are not places saying they don't want teens to shop in their centers. They're saying: 'Bring a parent to shop with you,"' said International Council of Shopping Centers spokeswoman Patrice Duker.

Malls say the policies are improving the environment on weekend nights. Some report that stroller rentals are up on weekend evenings, a sign that families are visiting in higher numbers.

The enormous Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., with 520 stores, has a policy that's about a decade old it calls incredibly successful. There used to be times when thousands of unescorted kids arrived at the mall on a weekend evening, said spokeswoman Anna Lewicki Long. Instances of teens arguing, spitting or hanging out without supervision were making it uncomfortable for other shoppers, she said.