Mall's decision on teens could be a bust

Sometimes drastic action is required, and sometimes drastic actions are just a product of knee-jerk decisions. The management of Lakeshore Mall soon will learn what the public thinks about its decision to ban teenagers from inside the mall unless they are with parents after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Lakeshore Mall announced the controversial policy Thursday, explaining that mall business is depressed during those times because older shoppers are scared or intimidated by groups of young people using foul and offensive language and roaming the mall.

One shopper who listened to the announcement told the mall manager that he would immediately stop shopping there and return all the goods he had just purchased. He believed that a few bad teens should not ruin it for the many more good teens who use the mall for entertainment and hanging out with friends.

The truth about Highlands County is that just about everyone's idea to deal with sticky problems is to just stop or limit access. This happened on Lake Denton, the skate park and other areas where problems have been reported. It's sure easier and cheaper to close something than to fix it, but it doesn't necessarily serve the people.

Owners of Lakeshore Mall have every right to set hours or limit people from using their facility. It's a private business. Would mall businesses do well after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays if no young people were there? We don't know, but we would guess these are not the premium hours anyway.

Of course, consumers will have the final say on this. If older shoppers feel safer and spend their money on Fridays and Saturdays without teens unaccompanied by their parents, then good for the mall. But if mall stores continue to struggle, and young people go somewhere else, then the decision will be a bust.

At least mall management is trying to do something that helps its merchants be successful. We want a strong, vibrant mall. It's important to our community. But there's something about this latest decision that doesn't seem right.