Willow Grove Park Mall bans unsupervised teens after 5 p.m.
The mall joins some Jersey Shore towns and Center City’s Fashion District in restricting teens
Willow Grove Park Mall is the latest shopping center to impose restrictions on minors during certain hours.
Starting Oct. 1, visitors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian after 5 p.m., and after 3 p.m. on Sundays. The Montgomery County mall, owned by PREIT, joins other regional malls in limiting teens access in the evenings, including Center City’s Fashion District, the Deptford Mall, and PREIT’s Cherry Hill Mall. Several Jersey Shore towns have also enacted teen curfews and restrictions in recent years.
“Willow Grove Park is committed to maintaining a secure, welcoming, and family-friendly environment for all of our guests,” said Romaine Crawford, general manager of Willow Grove Park Mall. “This policy not only ensures that our guests can enjoy their shopping experience, but also fosters a secure environment for mall employees and visitors.”
The new rule, according to a press release, responds to concerns from shoppers and local authorities about large gatherings of teens that occasionlly disrupted the mall experience.
Those who violate the rule and refuse to leave could be charged with trespassing, according to the new policy.Under the policy, minors unaccompanied by an adult after curfew will be asked to leave by security or wait until a parent or guardian over 21 arrives. Parents and legal guardians may be required to show identification.
Violators who refuse to comply could face trespassing charges.
Mall employees under 18 are exempt from the policy while working but must go directly to their place of employment and leave immediately after their shift.
In recent years, teens in the Philadelphia area have faced increasing scrutiny for large gatherings that led to fights and vandalism, including incidents at the Jersey Shore, the Fashion District, and other community events across the Philadelphia suburbs.
In a 2023 Inquier op-ed, then 17-year-old Philadelphian Harper Leary argued that teens are being unfairly targeted by these restrictions. Leary pointed to “mall culture” of the past, as depicted in shows like Stranger Things, which romanticizes the 1980s obsession with malls. She wrote that the growing number of teen hangouts becoming off-limits, like malls and the Jersey Shore, is further isolating young people.