So here's the dumbest thing I have heard all day.

Northpark Mall, a somewhat higher priced but very popular mall in my hometown of Dallas, Texas has instituted a new policy:

After 6 p.m., children and teenagers 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent. If a security guard suspects that someone is underage after 6, he is allowed to ask to see your I.D. If you can't provide a valid form of I.D., you will be asked to leave or a parent will be called to pick you up.

Also you can't take pictures and video of the stores, and visible "undergarments" will not be tolerated (although that one isn't so bad I think it's just silly looking).

There's one little exception though, if you are there to see a movie, you must go straight to the theater, and leave immediately afterwards (because ya know, that's so easy to enforce).

Seriously what the hell? Is this not the dumbest thing you have ever heard? I can't wait for the perfect storm of lawsuit happy Americans, rebellious teenagers who refuse to show their I.D., and overall bad publicity to start.

Link: http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/New-conduct-polict-at-NorthPark-restricts-hours-for-teens-150855675.html

If this happens to sound like a rant, its because I really like the movie theater there and am above 17, and really don't want to have to show my I.D. just to get to the theater :(

So be over 17, don't take obnoxious pictures and video in the mall, and don't walk around with your pants at your ankles. Problems solved.

EDIT: Not talking about you by the way. Also have you been around kids under 17 recently? I can fully understand why they do not want them in the mall after certain hours.

They did that at my local outdoor mall, and when I was 16 it bothered me, but I am so happy they have it now. They actually do a pretty good job of enforcing it too.

They've had those same exact rules at my local mall in Chattanooga, TN for several years now. Not really a big deal to me, even though I'm of age now. But back when I was a freshmen or so I just found other places to go or did all my loitering in the day time. It was & still is probably for the best since downtown has seen a good amount of gang related crime recently, including 9 shot in the back parking lot of a music venue I used to work at. So it's probably a good idea to keep kids out of trouble with these rules.

My local mall doesn't have a policy like this but the theater does. It won't sell late showing tickets to minors.

I guess I will have to start wearing pants when I go there now.

Your 23 and you don't want to show ID? Do you look 15?

Why are you complaining? That sounds awesome. Keeps all the bratty little teenagers out.

Sounds good to me, I wish I could do this at the store I work at.

I always just shopped at the mall as a teenager, sucks for those like me. Loitering is for jerks.

A lot of teenagers suck, so that sounds like a win for us adults to me.

Nothing worse than walking around a mall where a bunch of stupid little bastards are running about taking pictures of undergarments...wait...did I read that wrong?

@cmpLtNOOb: Don't they have similar policies at Grapevine Mills and Vista Ridge?

Honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Unaccompanied minors are a big issue for the malls that are still around. Unless you look 14, I doubt this will really affect you.

Also, off the point, but Dallas, Texas is awesome. *high-five*

Sounds great. I wish the place where I work implemented those rules.

The dumbest thing I've heard all day is a 23 year old complaining about teenagers not being allowed in the local mall after 6.

Sucks for those kids.

Its a private business, they can implement any rules they want.

Sorry, but most minors are nightmares. It sucks that they have to ruin it for the good ones.

They did that at a local theater here and it helped soooo much. You used to not be able to go to that theater on weekends without having to deal with a ton of obnoxious 15 year olds running around. (Not to mention the fights that would happen). Not it's not so bad.

Live in that general area & agreed that is pretty stupid though doesn't apply to me being happily over 21 for a while.

Hey guys, the jailbait store closes at 6 now... I'm super sad. =(

@WilliamHenry said:

Its a private business, they can implement any rules they want.

This, you can't sue (and win) against a privately owned business enforcing rules like this, if you have a problem with it, don't support them by shopping there. If their profits go down then they'll likely cancel the policy.

As much as I hate all teenagers, that is pretty terrible.

Sounds reasonable to me. No offence OP but there's nothing worse than those jerks who whinge outside bars when asked for ID to prove they're over 18 when they've just turned 20 and think they are beyond questioning for ID. If you look young then take it as a blessing for now. It won't last unless you're Keanu Reeves.

@cmpLtNOOb: said:

Also you can't take pictures and video of the stores.

This should be enforced 24/7. You never know when its competitors gaining footage of your business and sales, or some pervert, not to mention someone taking footage of you at work. Who the hell wants that? Why would you want a picture of a store in a mall?

I actually wish my local mall had these rules. Obviously it helps that I'm well outside the affected age range. I just have seen/experienced far too much stupid behavior by minors that I don't mind if they have a curfew at the mall. There are other ways to blow time after 6. Now I know there are plenty of really good natured kids, but there are just enough idiots to ruin it for them unfortunately. They obviously have good enough reason to bring up this policy otherwise they wouldn't be pushing out potential customers.

They always used to gate off the area between the theatre and the mall when I was younger so exactly this sort of thing wouldn't be an issue.

I don't know that they patrolled the rest of the area or anything, but I also don't think a lot of kids in my area were spending any time at the mall after 6pm. But hey, that was seven years ago now. Who knows what the kids are into these days?

This whole trend of "show us your ID" seems popular recently though. Welcome to the police state. The G8/NATO is going to be in Chicago this summer and the list suggested by the police of things you're supposed to carry on you "just in case" they need to ask you some questions is extensive. I guess that's a bit more justified though.

This sounds like an awesome policy actually. I fucking hate groups of teenagers walking around malls being loud and obnoxious

Eh, I mean it might make things better without annoying teenagers, I'm just a fan of being able to go and do whatever I want if I'm not disturbing anyone.

My way of thinking tends to go straight to the worst case scenario of overzealous security guards asking everyone they consider young to see their I.D., and how irritating that would be.

The mall can do whatever they want since it's privately owned, but malls always feel like such public places and hangouts that not letting anyone take pictures and video in the stores, and making parental guidance mandatory starting fairly early in the evening seems a little over the top.

Good. They should try to get rid of all the geriatric power walkers too.

@BrockNRolla said:

Welcome to the police state.

This is more why the whole thing sounded crazy to me, and I haven't known any other malls that do this, at least before some of the responses in this thread, which has backfired on me haha

It's not really a total police state thing since it's meant to stop teens, but even so the 'no photography, have your I.D. on you, and you may only be here during certain times' aspect sticks out to me.

Maybe I've just finally had my eyes opened to the real world of ...malls...

Oh God, I hope this doesnt happen in my city....  Im 17 and its fun being at the mall with your friends around that time

I don't know. At first I agreed with the OP. It does sound really dumb and if I was under 17 I would have been offended too. But I'm guessing this didn't come out of nowhere. I'm guessing there had to have been incidences for the shop owners and mall administrators to feel that they had to approve of such a big change. So, really, the ones who are at fault for the new change are those teenagers who acted in such a way to cause the mall authorities to think of doing this. If anyone is to be blamed blame the shitty teenagers who acted poorly.

Wow, you have an issue with this? You must be under 17. Having been to Northpark, this makes so much sense it's not even funny. Maybe if the mall wasn't filled with punk kids, they wouldn't have to do this. Last time I was there was awful. Yeah, I don't wanna see your fucking boxers because your goddamn pants are nearly around your knees. I don't want a bunch of kids there at night unsupervised knowing the type that tend to just hang around that mall. The mob mentality that the little dickheads get can (believe it or not) lead to some serious incidents.

Good on them.

You live in Texas bro. You might forget that after how badass people try to make it seem, it is a red confederate state.

Seems alright to me. Wish they did it where I live in the mall and theaters

@Demoskinos said:

My local mall doesn't have a policy like this but the theater does. It won't sell late showing tickets to minors.

That is so entirely apples to oranges i hope that you were joking.

The dumbest thing I heard all day was North Carolina's new law on marriage.. but you know, this whole mall thing is a travesty too (sarcasm notification)

o well on that. i'm not a minor so i don't care.

I'm guessing they've had a lot of problems with kids being assholes.

They implemented the same thing here (also in Texas heh) at a local theater a few years ago. I'm sure it was because of a bunch of stupid kids. I didn't really care when it was first put in to action though because I didn't go that much anyway. Now that I'm of age, I still kind of don't really care hehe. I guess I can be glad there would be less crazy parentless teenagers around at night if I decide to go.

Teenagers gotta have somewhere to hang out, they're people too. At least at a mall they're potentially spending money... As for you guys being annoyed by groups of teens hanging out at your mall, you sound like cranky old men. Waah they're too loud and obnoxious. You're in a motherfluffing mall. Go shop at a library.

I think the age thing is understandable.... Though 18 seems a tad high. Even the Mall of America age requirement is only 16.

I was originally going to say "Even though there are a lot of awful teenagers, I guess it does kinda suck for the good ones" then I remembered decent teenagers don't hang out at the mall.

I doubt this would ever happen at my mall in Mesa, Arizona, but that's because it seems like every other store is some sort of skater/wigger clothes store with the exact same garbage inside.

Fair enough, also we don't really have malls where I live, not in the same style as the US does at least.

But do people really hang out at the mall? And if people are decent people, why would they hang out at the mall?

I'm 18, and very mature in public compared to a lot of people I know. I like that rule about being 17 and under. Kids are fucking annoying in public without guardians around. I use to be one just a few years ago.

As for the camera thing, that's dumb. I remember taking a picture of an old Steelers jersey at an NFL store in the mall. A "cop" came up to me and told me to put my phone back in my pocket or he'll have me kicked out (of the entire mall, not the store). I put it away and asked why I can't have it out. He told me people take pictures of areas to plot terrorist attacks.

I said, alright and walked away. Ever since then I've felt sorry for this country, where it's headed and the time we live.

Also, I work at a movie theater. Little kids are annoying as fuck, running around and ruining the movie for others. Although, there are people 18+ that were loud AS FUCK in a theater the other day. We got multiple complaints and ended having to have managers go sit by them for part of the movie. They would have kicked them out, but every time a manager walked in, they'd be quiet. So I guess it's not always the kids, just mostly.

@matthias2437 said:

So be over 17, don't take obnoxious pictures and video in the mall, and don't walk around with your pants at your ankles. Problems solved.

EDIT: Not talking about you by the way. Also have you been around kids under 17 recently? I can fully understand why they do not want them in the mall after certain hours.

I agree with everything this duder or dudette said

@cmpLtNOOb said:

and really don't want to have to show my I.D.

I'll never understand this for the life of me. If there are rules/laws in place where businesses have to check I.D.s, why do people complain about it so much. They're doing their job man. Really don't understand the, "Oh come on do I really look like I'm not 17!?!?" Just pull out the I.D. for 3 seconds tops and we'll all be on our way. Trust me, the people behind the counter don't want to hold you up and create problems they'll have to deal with on purpose lol. I'm not directing this towards you OP, just in general :p

Good, fucking whippersnappers going to the mall, playing with pokeymans and nintendo weeze, DAMN KIDS NEED TO LEARN SOME RESPECT!

@Intro said:

@cmpLtNOOb said:

and really don't want to have to show my I.D.

I'll never understand this for the life of me. If there are rules/laws in place where businesses have to check I.D.s, why do people complain about it so much. They're doing their job man. Really don't understand the, "Oh come on do I really look like I'm not 17!?!?" Just pull out the I.D. for 3 seconds tops and we'll all be on our way. Trust me, the people behind the counter don't want to hold you up and create problems they'll have to deal with on purpose lol. I'm not directing this towards you OP, just in general :p

Some people see it as an infringement of their constitutional rights. Those people are morons.

I understand the point of these rules, however intolerance creates more rebels. I remember, 15 years ago, when I was in high school I painted my hair red after the end of the school year. Still, the principal made a huge deal about it and didn’t want to let me go to the graduation party. The principal had a talk with my parents but my mom (being an atheist) lost it when the principal told her that that was not the way god intended it to be. Needless to say my mom yelled at the principal and threatened to sue the school because there was no rule about it at the time, and because the classes were over anyway. Then she encouraged me to stay with the red and go to the party regardless of the inconformity of the principal.

When I think about it, what bothers me the most is that if there was a girl who did it, then everything would have been ok. Because, you know, the society has accepted women changing the hair color as they please.

After the event I just got over it, and never continued doing it. But I wonder how much time will it take each person to get out of their system that unnecessary and “unfounded” sometimes rebel attitude. Not that there is anything wrong with that, its part of life...