The Philadelphia Fashion District mall restricts children under 18 to certain hours

Shortly after 2:00 p.m. Monday, three teenage girls attempted to enter the Fashion District at the Ninth and Market Street entrance, and a security guard asked for their identities. they leave. The security guard will repeat the request every time anyone who appears to be an underage enters through the door.

Outside, the Philadelphia Police guarded the entrance on bicycles.

Skyi Brown, 16, was hoping to treat herself to her upcoming birthday and was among those asked to leave.

I’m looking for clothes, he said, thinking of where he could spend time before work now that his mall trips are dead.

Obviously we can’t go in, this is kinda weird to me, but it is what it is. We can’t go against what they say.

Inside, the already quiet mall feels, well, shut up, because the security guards at all entrances began to introduce new age restrictions. Anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by someone at least 23 years of age after 14:00

Minors employed in malls are still allowed in, with proof of work.

Early this monthThe mall’s management said the age restriction was a way of dealing with problems caused by large groups of teenagers after school and during spring break.

The move left people divided. Youth advocates warn against demonizing young people who have limited space to gather. Others say it’s too bad, but some have ruined it for the rest.

The mall, which had struggled to live up to its promise of being a revitalizing force for Market East, was able to turn away unaccompanied teenagers with ease. Like Brown, most don’t argue, even if they disagree.

The food court near the entrance to Jefferson Station remained mostly empty although most food shops were closed. A teenager was told he couldn’t go through the mall to get to Market Street. Stores like Claires, Journeys, and GameStop remain youth-free. Giggling teens talking about crushes or posing for social media are hard to find.

The examination caused bewilderment among those who were gifted with eternal youth.

You have to have ID to be in the mall now? said a woman as she pulled out her card, clearly irritated. He cleared the check.

Meanwhile, Dyshon Bryant, 18, came home from college running some errands, saying being able to turn his cards over made him feel a bit grown up.

It’s a step in the right direction, you get better security, said Bryant, when he learned about what age restrictions encourage.

Hundreds of teenagers descended on the mall earlier in the month, earning a police response. Three teenagers were cited for disorderly conduct and a fourth for carrying an airsoft weapon. Police said an officer injured his knee while chasing a suspect.

READ MORE: Police are giving conflicting accounts of what happened in the Fashion District when hundreds of teenagers gathered

Still, 17-year-olds like Stephanie Humphreys and Samantha Nutley, who traveled from Bucks County, feel as though the Fashion District made a mistake.

A lot of money was missing, said Humphreys, ready to spend his wages on summer clothes.

Teenagers skewer the mall for decisions in a way only teenagers know, calling it a dry and utterly boring mall, with no youth present. Nutley accuses the Fashion District of wasting resources and taking other things that young people have.

Nutley, who has boots on his feet, said he understood the point of wanting to minimize distractions but didn’t think locking up teens was the way to go.

I’m booted, he said. What distractions are we going to do?

As the after-school rush comes and goes, several teenagers try to get through the Jefferson Station entrance.

Maybe the kids got the memo, one man joked to the postman.

The guard just shrugged as another teenager approached.