A Cleveland mall is enacting a tough teen curfew: no teens without adult accompaniment after 2:30 pm, 7 days a week. While anti-teen curfews are nothing new, the mall’s is the only one to be in effect every single day. According to the mall, packs of unruly teenagers spending little money are driving away legitimate paying shoppers. Apparently this is part of a national trend to keep teens out of malls. Basically, we don’t want teens congregating anywhere in public. It’s best they stick to the rickety barn, the derelict mine shaft, and the defunct mill.
California Moves To Ban Teen Driver Cellphone Use
By August 31, 2007
A bill banning drivers under 18 from using cellphones passed the California Assembly today. It doesn’t even allow hands-free device use. The Highway Patrol asked for, and got, the offense classified as a secondary infraction, which means you can’t get pulled over simply for breaking this law.
Teens Prefer Liquor To Beer, Hate Wine
By July 29, 2007
The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report claims that teens prefer bourbon, rum, scotch, whiskey, and vodka to beer. Why should you care? Regulators and policy makers use the statistics to develop beverage-specific measures to combat underage drinking, “including increasing alcohol excise taxes and increasing restrictions on the distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.” The CDC studied high schoolers in Nebraska, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Wyoming, and found the following:
FTC To Investigate Deceptive Youth-Oriented Advertising Practices, Like KFC's "21st Century Dinner Bell," Audible Only To Kids
By May 22, 2007
A report damning the coercive and deceptive practices used by food marketers to reach kids has been submitted to the FTC. The Commission plans to investigate how the food industry markets to children and adolescents; information requests, Commission-speak for subpoenas, have been sent to 44 companies that manufacture, market, and distribute foods and beverages.
