Youth Rights 101, Part 6: And the Sign Said…
This is part of the Youth Rights 101 series. Please check out Youth Rights 101: Introduction for the rest of the series and more information.
I saw a sign at a store saying anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Is that legal?
Depends on the store and where you are. This is illegal in some states (Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, and New Jersey, to name a few) and only partially legal in some others. Of course, regardless of legality, there’s no question such policies are very wrong!
Even in states where it is illegal, many stores still put up policies like this, usually unaware of the law forbidding it.
Similar policies include allowing only two teens in the store at a time or having an express line specifically for non-students. Such policies have been found at convenience stores, department stores, restaurants, party supply stores, bowling alleys, pet stores, music stores, and many more. And these businesses are under no legal obligation to discriminate against the young. They freely choose to.
Common excuse is they believe teens are more likely to shoplift, which forgets that people of all ages can and do shoplift, and there’s no guarantee someone will shoplift simply because of age.
Others claim they sell age-restricted or other somehow sensitive products that merits limiting presence of youth, assuming the youth would disturb the merchandise or try to buy something they aren’t legally allowed to.
In any case, the real answer to such problems is the same, which is for store staff to keep better watch over what’s happening in the store, regardless of age of patrons. For all they know, while they’re keeping a close watch on an innocent 15-year-old browsing the shelves, a 45-year-old may have just pocketed something and walked out!
Many hotels will not allow under-21s to check-in because they fear underage drinking in their rooms, but that would still be a risk even if the young people were with their parents, and this ban serves only to inhibit innocent independent youth.
Malls are increasingly setting teen curfews, requiring all unaccompanied youth to vacate the premises after a certain time, usually explicitly admitting the purpose is to make adult shoppers more comfortable. They’d rather have youth-hating adults as customers than youth themselves!
Similarly, some stores, bothered by the presence of teenagers, install “Mosquito” devices, which emit a high-pitched sound audible only to young people meant to annoy them and drive them away! Like pests!
And all of these policies completely disregard any profits these stores might have made from young people buying something if they had been welcome!
Discriminatory signs and policies do not save businesses from robbery or other misfortune, and serve only to reinforce the social idea that young people are “other”, that it’s acceptable to explicitly tell them they are not trusted and not welcome because of when they were born, because of who they are.
What do you think? What are some other ways businesses senselessly discriminate against the young? What experiences have you had with this? Tell us in the comments!
See Also:
Pet Store
NYRA Defeats Giant
Age Discrimination in Maryland sheet
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3 Comments
I saw a sign at the Mall Of America When I was a teenager. The mall of America has some sort of age restriction on people under 16. I think it's that people under 16 have to be accompanied by an adult on weekends and MAYBE after a certain time at night. I forget the exact details because it's been several years since the last time I was there and I didn't think much of that stuff at the time.
Ashley said at 8:25 pm on February 23, 2012
The Mall of America was the first mall to have a youth escort policy, implemented in 1996.
OmegaWolf747 said at 11:14 am on February 25, 2012
Ashley said:
From their site:
maxh said at 10:04 pm on February 25, 2012
>>For all they know, while they’re keeping a close watch on an innocent 15-year-old browsing the shelves, a 45-year-old may have just pocketed something and walked out!<<
Yep. I remember as a teenager browsing in book stores and being “subtly” followed around by staff. Now that I’m older, I no longer get that treatment. I don’t dress any better than I did then. I’m no more ethical. If anything, back then I was more of a good-two-shoes than I am now.
foxfire said at 10:59 am on February 26, 2012
What states is it illegal in and where could you find these laws online?
notyomama said at 11:08 pm on March 3, 2012
notyomama said:
For states, you’ll have to go to the state legislature’s website. If there’s not a state law, though, municipal ordinance may be relevant. Check Municode.
maxh said at 8:33 am on March 4, 2012
The local mall near where I live also has a policy like this: from 4pm to close on Fridays and Saturdays, people under 18 must be escorted by someone over 21. I can understand their frustration, because several years ago the mall was the site of a serious public brawl among a couple dozen teens (if I remember correctly, it was gang related). The point I like to make is that if the fight had been among the same number of black people, or women, or any other group so historically discriminated against, they couldn't have made such a policy. The local rights organizations would have been up in arms about a policy preventing women from being in the mall without a male escort during certain hours (for example). But because the group discriminated against is minors, they can get away with it? It's flat-out wrong, and angers me.
MeallaAoi said at 11:06 pm on March 27, 2012
There is this farm/park type place I live near. On their Farm Rules sign the first listed was no one under the age of 18 without adult supervison. This places has a sunflower maze, corn maze, hayrides, and many more. On the maze rule signs it says kids (anyone under 18) must be supervised by an adult we reverse the right to remove stray children from the maze. They fear that teens are to destroy the maze. They have security type people walk through the maze to sure that all kids and teens are supervised by an adult. For all they know while removing a 15 year old doing nothing wrong in the maze a 45 year old could be tearing up the maze or something else they could really hurt the maze.
Charles said at 10:47 pm on April 28, 2012
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