Can minors be restricted from being in a shopping center after a certain time of night?

Question

So our local theater and shopping center says that minors will not be allowed to enter after 6pm unless your with someone 21 years old or older. They have 3 entrances where they will be checking ids. Can they do this? To me this seems illegal in many different ways.

Isn't this discrimination?
Oh and about local city curfews I already know those are illegal.

Answer 1

It's a private business and they can stop anyone from coming in they want to. I'd like to know where the theater is. It would be great to go to a movie with a somewhat mature audience for a change.

Answer 2

As luck would have it they can. The theater/shopping center you're referring to is privately owned and can make up their own rules and regulations. They can and do have the right to refuse service to anyone for whatever reason. Now they can't have you arrested on these regulations alone but they can call the police to have you escorted out. Then if you refuse to leave you could be charged with failure to comply with an officer's order, loitering, or maybe disorderly conduct if you are uncooperative in leaving or use obscene language. And, no, obscene language is not protected under the first amendment right of freedom of speech in the constitution. People that believe that it is need to look it up. There are restrictions to it. My shopping mall where I live states that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to be in a group of more than 4 under the age of 18 at all times unless with a parent or legal guardian. Now the state, city, town, or etc., in which you live can enact and enforce a curfew for anyone under 18 but I hardly doubt it would be 6 pm. I believe the shopping center is only doing this for teens safety and their own. You're a liability to them while you're on their property and that's probably why they are doing it. There are too many parents out there that use shopping centers as babysitters for their teens and don't care what they're doing just as long as they are out of their hair. They're trying to stop parents from dropping their kids off and leaving them there til close. It's that small group of teens that get into trouble, cause problems, steel, are loud and obnoxious and treat the shopping center like their own personal little playground that spoils it for everyone else. It's nothing against you and I know it sucks but try not to take it personal.

Answer 3

They can set their rules and hours as they see fit. City ordinances might have a curfew for those the underage of 16. Any child out past that time must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Now 6:00 PM seems a bit early to me, but as I said it is their shopping center and they can do what they want.

Of course, the easy way to solve this is to get there by 5 PM and not give them reason to kick you out. Or just go to a different shopping center.

Answer 4

A private business, under the Civil Rights Act, cannot discriminate against patrons on the basis of certain qualifications, such as race, religion or ethnicity. Age is not listed. So unless your state specifically has such a law, which I doubt, they have a right to do that.

Answer 5

Yes they are privately owned and can do as they like on this. It was caused by a few young people making serious trouble. And you are wrong if you think curfew laws are illegal.

Answer 6

Yep. Private property. They can deny service to (for the most part) whoever they choose to.

Answer 7

This is legal. Your city can even have a curfew if they choose to do so.

Answer 8

Yes they can do it. It isn't public property!

Answer 9

its private property....they can make there own rules......