Could you imagine being 17 and your mom following you and your friends around the mall like a babysitter? We know that teens can be reckless, but is forcing them to be monitored at the mall going too far? On April 28, Garden State Mall implemented a new parent policy that requires teens to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 on Fridays and Saturdays after 5:00 pm. 

Due to a rise in violence caused by teens, Garden State mall officials have decided to refine their policies. In a New York Post article the mall’s Senior General Manager Wesley Ribsz noted that “They’re [the teens] being unruly, violating code of conduct, which can include running through the property in large groups, fighting and putting it on TikTok, basically disrupting business and making it uncomfortable for our everyday customers.” (Genous 5). This has resulted in many of the mall’s rules and regulations being violated. 

The mall has added designated waiting areas for any teens whose parents can’t pick them up at five; these waiting areas are located at Entrance 1 by the AMC Theatres, Entrance 10 on the west side of the mall’s property, or Entrance 15 by the food court. These policies do not apply directly to restaurants, department stores, and movie theaters. If teens plan to go to one of these particular places within the mall they are encouraged to call ahead to get that place’s teen guidelines. 

The movie theaters do not currently have any teen guidelines set, but if you plan on going to the mall after seeing a movie, you will be checked to ensure mall guidelines are followed. Guests attending the theaters must use entrance 1 or the escalators by entrance 17. 

The new parent policy guidelines at Garden State Mall have left Wayne Valley High School split. Some students agree with the policies while others believe that the policies benefit others experiences at the mall with others strongly disagreeing. In a poll asking students how they felt about the mall’s new curfew, most students believe that the new rules will not lessen violence. One student noted that “Even though they are limiting the teenagers’ chances of doing horrible things in the mall for the weekends, it doesn’t stop them from going on the weekdays and causing havoc.” With these policies only being valid on Fridays and Saturdays there is still potential for teens to cause trouble during the week. 

English teacher, Mrs. Vanatta believes that instead of punishing all teens and tweens, the mall should have stricter punishments for the teens who are misbehaving. “I do not like punishing all people of this age due to the actions of the few. Perhaps, instead, they can strengthen punishment for children who are not acting appropriately— maybe detain them until a parent/guardian can pick the child up and provide a fine.” Vanatta also noted that if parents become an inconvenience, then maybe their children’s actions may change. 

Other students believe that the curfew is a good idea because they feel it makes the mall safer and will lessen violence. Some students mentioned that the previous rules weren’t strict enough and that mall employees were too lenient. On Saturdays, a lot of families with young children visit the mall for weekend outings. Teens may be setting bad examples, this could cause young children to believe that this type of behavior is acceptable at the mall.

The majority of students also fear that this will be implemented into more local malls such as Willowbrook and Paramus. One student stated “Kids are their income, I’ve been to a mall during school hours and after and the difference is crazy. After school the mall is packed. During school there is about 250 people total there.” Malls are a typical hangout spot for teenagers because there are plenty of places they can visit inside the mall when they don’t have a car to drive from one place to another. After school is when the majority of students attend the mall, so by making curfews students believe the mall’s revenue will go down.

English teacher Mrs. Damiani-Heller noted that “The new rules will probably lessen disturbances, but I’m not sure about its effect on violence.” Mall official’s say that one of their hopes with the new rules is to lessen the number of fights that have recently broken out on mall property, but it is currently unclear whether this goal has been achieved. Damiani-Heller also mentioned that she agrees with the rules set forth because “As an adult, I would like to be able to shop without worrying about groups of unsupervised children running around and causing chaos. There are a lot of high-end stores at Garden State. If you are shopping at one of those high-end stores, you should be able to enjoy the experience.”

Over all, it seems that Wayne Valley is pretty evenly split when it comes to the new parent guidelines with both teachers and students feeling that high school is an appropriate age to be left unsupervised in the mall. So, is seventeen too old for parental supervision in the mall, or is that appropriate in order to keep violence down and limit disturbances to other shoppers?