There’s a certain adrenaline that occupies the edges of parking lots outside of bowling alleys and movie theaters. Stand in the spaces long enough and you’ll find Teens fueled by the cheap soda and the energy of being surrounded by those alike. However, recently these same spaces that offered freedom become a stage for reckless behavior, with teens destroying public spaces, furniture and fighting one another. Observers say the problem isn’t just “kids being kids,” it is a reality that many teens face. If teens who venture anywhere outside of being at home or in a classroom, they are seen as trespassers.  While social spaces like bowling alleys and theaters used to offer a sanctuary for teenagers, they have become a source of community due to conflict created by those who are reckless. Researchers have theorized that a lack of these dedicated spaces in the community may just be why these bored adolescents are acting out on a Friday night, craving a freedom they have been deprived of. However, for frustrated business owners, these teenagers’ gatherings have become increasingly irritating. This raises the question: Where are kids supposed to go when there is nowhere to be?

The Thrill 

     For some teens, trouble frequently starts with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Young people often say that boredom becomes an urge to escape and enjoy the collective highs that crowds offer. What once was an innocent thrill-seeking experience turns into a moment of chaos fueled by teen impulsivity. 

• Officer Jason Shonkwiler: “There’s an idea of having some sort of anonymity. 
If I’m in a group, I can act like an idiot.” 
• Isaac Suddarth (Sophomore): “I’ve met a lot of new friends there, you know, we just vibe up to music and eat food. It’s just fun.”
• Kyle Hipp (Senior): “We like to hang out and play games like hide and seek or tag. Sometimes in a social area that isn’t outdoors, card games are always fun, maybe shooting some hoops too.” 

Priced Out of Belonging

      In the past, getting together with friends in the past meant going to the diner or the mall. Today, these places come with a hefty price tag that most teens struggle to keep up with. In between the expensive iced coffees and the overpriced pastries, the youth find themselves being priced out. 

•  S. Nelson: “These places aren’t really affordable anymore. A lot of places are getting way too expensive. If you want to get a basic iced coffee and a pastry, it’s easily twelve bucks now.”
• I. Suddarth: “We’re all broke, so you don’t need to pay to go there and hang out.”
• S. Dossey (Psych & Social Studies Teacher): “Social spaces allow kids and teenagers to practice social skills, such as conflict management, social cues, empathy and relationship building. These places have increasingly gotten more expensive.”

 The Adult Backlash & The “Teen” Label

     It’s the broken glass and vandalized storefronts that can tell a story to business owners: Teenage boredom and impulsivity leads to damage. For shop owners and managers, it feels as though shutting down their spaces is their only option for survival. These businesses say that a few reckless decisions made by a handful of individuals have ruined the environment not just for teenagers, but for others in older generations.Walking into your local hangout spot as a teenager today can lead to being met with suspicion. Students who try to stay out of trouble say the constant profiling can be exhausting, the constant profiling over whether or not you are someone to be punished, can be exhausting.

• S. Dossey: “Students want to fit in with their peers but when that becomes a destructive place, it explains why these shop owners would like you to stop.
• S. Nelson: “I think I understand why adults are mad because I notice the immaturity in others but I would say it’s only just a few.” 
• J. Shonkwiler: “I wouldn’t say that it’s teenagers doing that. However, [they’re] young [and] impulsive. [They] kind of have a perception that nothing is going to happen to you because you’re juveniles. So that allows people to act a little bit more outside of the norm than what they would. So that’s a dangerous mixture.”  

DESIGNING A PLACE

     Despite the current cycle of destruction and punishment, community organizers say that teenagers can not be banned out of existence. They need a place to be. As a result, people working on the problem say the issue requires the community to shift focus from punishment towards design. Focusing on affordable and safe third spaces, with input from students themselves, can create a community that offers teenagers a sort of belonging, researchers say. The blueprint for these solutions require youth and older generations to come together

• S. Dossey: “I worked at Flix Brewhouse and was able to create a community of friends there as well. If my friends and I hung out in public, it was usually at a restaurant, coffee shop or the mall.”

• J. Shonkwiler: “My buddy’s garage was where I would hang out. So, I was the high school athlete that was doing all this stuff and I couldn’t get in trouble. I was thinking to myself, “I don’t want to jeopardize my future or anything by doing anything dumb, we made that decision.”

• S. Nelson: “I feel like my dream place would be a place that has affordable snacks. We just want a space where we can exist without having to spend a ton of money or feel like we’re annoying adults just by being alive.” 

• S. Nelson: “Honestly, to get change, I think it just comes down to mutual respect and communication instead of everyone automatically jumping to the worst assumptions.”