Jason

On Friday, Delaware's largest shopping center, the Christiana Mall, officially instituted the Parental Guidance Required program.

The program prohibits teens 17 and under from entering the mall Friday or Saturday nights unless accompanied by an adult 21 or older. Each adult will be permitted to supervise four teens.

After several retailers complained that young people just "hanging out" was bad for business, officials decided to take disciplinary measures.

The restricted hours begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and youths must remain under adult supervision for their entire duration on mall grounds.

Security guards are stationed at every entrance to screen everyone who comes into the mall and checking identifications.

http://cbs3.com/local/Delaware.Mall.Teen.2.769257.html

beefers1

Probably not gonna work, but at least they've taken the right step.

ebackhus

I remember when being a teen was not yet criminalized.

Basementgeek

Teen have changed a lot since I was one, i.e. No malls for one. They had not been invented yet.

BG

yustr

Just another example of why teens think adults are idiots - - - and proof they're right.

SABL

The cost for extra security will be passed on to the shopper/s. Red armband required.... I remember (not personally) of a time when a similar tactic was used to identify certain persons but the identifying mark was the Star of David.

I do agree that in some areas loitering by teens can have a devastating effect on business if the teens are unruly or harass the customers. If this is the case then simple criminal trespass charges can put the offenders "out of business" whereas they can be subject to arrest and their parent/s will be aware of their child's activities. I can see no harm in teens meeting in an open public "arena".... they could be somewhere else in a not so friendly environment.

To classify all teens as a nuisance is an unjust accusation..... requiring an identifying "mark" and a chaperone is unfair. Many times the teens window shop and prepare a mental "wish-list" to present to their parents, making them a future consumer. Shoplifting can be a problem but that crime occurs with people of all ages and is not just a teen problem.

The property managers may be making a mistake that might have long term consequences. To classify all teens as a nuisance is a general and unjust assumption. The requirement of an identifying mark reminds me of an era in history.... perhaps the next step will be sending the "offenders" to the "shower". Is that not how undesirables were handled in the past??

I am a Scot by descent and have no Jewish background along family lines. I do not discriminate by race, color, or creed due to my upbringing and fall well within the line of the law. Perhaps the law should also include age in the definition of unjust discrimination. With any luck, the shop owners will have decreased their customer base and suffer the consequences by targeting a specific age group. A teen is a future customer and in many cases is a current customer with the parent paying the bill.