By: Leah Harrison
Adults tell us to “Get off your phone!” but going outside has become harder than ever for today’s teenagers. Whilst not completely new, restrictions on teenagers in recent years have become more intense and strictly enforced. During COVID, many of our “third spaces” began to disappear due to COVID lockdown restrictions. Third spaces, a term coined by Ray Oldenburg, are places outside of your home and work environments you go to connect with others. This includes places like parks, malls, theatres, libraries, and other casual places that shouldn’t cost a fortune to gain admission. These places are essential to building communities, relationships, and independence, especially for teenagers.
Following COVID, returning to public spaces was rocky and inconsistent across the board. The previously enforced 10pm “curfew” had been lifted for the general public in bars, but it seems these lifts never made it to teen spaces. While in the first year of COVID, national crime incidents dropped drastically, but a steady increase can be seen in 2022 and is especially prevalent with gun violence. Deaths by gun violence in teens has surpassed the deaths by motor vehicles in recent years, and gun homicide rates had doubled from pre-pandemic in children aged 10-16. This caused a fear of disruptive, dangerous and thieving teens nationwide. Specific and recent incidents include multiple teenagers being placed under arrest after fights breaking out and destruction of property in December and April of 2024 at the Towson Town Center mall. On April 13th, police were called on a call of property destruction and juveniles fighting inside of the mall, then again later in the evening as the mall began to close, leading to the arrest of 3 juveniles aged 13-15. December 22nd 2024 police were called due to fighting inside of towson mall. Not much information was released, but it is known that two teenage suspects were arrested shortly after police arrived.
Incidents like these are generally agreed upon as the reason why no teen under the age of 17 is allowed on mall grounds without a chaperone on weekends past 5pm. Even more recent than that, fighting outside of the annual Maryland State Fair occurred on September 1st. A 16 year old was beaten by a large group of teens just outside of the grounds. The Maryland State Fair had only recently implemented the rule, no person under 18 was allowed without an accompanying person of 21 years or older just two years prior.
When I spoke to our previous class president Curtis Johnson, he expressed his frustration and troubles with attending the fair this year. He initially was unable to get in due to him being unaware of the new rule of needing an adult with him. He says eventually he was able to get in with the help of his friend’s mother, but witnessed another group of girls who weren’t so lucky. He claims they were turned away but still managed to enter through another door.
One of the most favored disciplinary/mentor staff at Poly is known as “Ms. T,” who often takes on the role of a “listening ear” to students alongside being a reprimander for those who don’t follow the rules. “Why do you think these rules are in place?,”“Do you think these rules are effective?” and “Do you think these rules are fair?” Ms. T expressed that she feels there are “bad apples” in every group that will not follow directions and ruin the experience for everyone, causing these rules to be implemented. Whilst she does say she feels this might not be fair, she thinks it is necessary to uphold order. Slightly contradictory though, she doesn’t think these rules are very effective because the people who do not follow directions to begin with, will not follow the newer implemented rules either.
Getting information from both sides of the coin makes a solution difficult to concoct because whilst it’s not fair to all, being fair is not always going to be possible.
