Mall Ban Leaves Students Upset with Lack of "Spaces for theYouth of America"
On September 28th, a new age restriction came into effect at two Montgomery County malls: Westfield Wheaton and Westfield Montgomery. Now, teenagers 17 and under must always have an adult accompany them after 3pm.
According to FOX 5 DC, “recent serious security incidents” prompted this new policy. In July, a 17 year old shot and injured a 13-year-old boy in Wheaton Mall, and in February, nine teens were arrested for stabbing another teen in the bathroom.
Montgomery Mall, only about a 10-minute drive from Holton, has reported shoplifting cases, burglaries and fights. FOX 5 reported that teens who work in the mall are exempt from these rules, but anyone else who violates them could be charged with trespassing.
This change poses challenges to students. Eleanor Roberts ’27 expressed her frustration and explained that she and many of her peers involved in theater used to grab food at Montgomery Mall before rehearsals. She said, “We’ve gotten food from Chipotle, Panda Express...Now a lot
of us have to bring our own food. It has shrunk our meal choices.”
Ilsa Peterson ’27, who is also involved in theater, agreed. She stated, “Students who have activities at school after 6pm used to use the mall as our meet-up spot. We had dinner together there, and it fostered community. To have that taken away is very frustrating, not because we don’t have other food in the area but because it was an important spot for us all to hang out and spend time
together before our other commitments.”
Similarly, Alisha Agha ’27 shared, “I hate the mall ban. I think it is very important to have non-school spaces for the youth of America.”
Sloane Burnett ’27, a mall enthusiast, commented, “I think that forbidding teenagers to go to the mall alone punishes everyone, when in reality, most are not the problem.”
For some, the change is understandable, though not any less disappointing. Nandita Bangalore ’27 reasoned, “I think that it might be a good idea regarding safety, but there are definitely better
approaches to making the mall safer. It is not really fair to kids who want to shop with their friends,
and parents cannot always be there.”
She also raised a crucial question: to what extent will this change impact mall businesses? Bangalore shared, “The lack of teenagers may cause the mall to start to go out of business.”
Some feel, however, that the ban was necessary. Sloan Quint ’27 detailed how she has always thought that “the mall needs more security.” To Quint, “the ban is reasonable.” Merritt Feldner ’27 agreed and added, “I understand the concern for safety despite the ban being an inconvenience to a lot of students.”
The malls have not released any information regarding if or when they plan to lift the restrictions.
