Target Store in New England Bans Kids Under 18 Unless Supervised By an Adult

For many decades, part of growing up in America was spending a day or an evening at the mall. It was a typical gathering of friends in their teenage years. A place to hang out that wasn't their house. A place that had food, clothes and a little excitement.

But as Americans have changed their shopping habits, malls across the country have fizzled. The teenage hang just isn't the same. Instead of malls, kids under 18 often gather inside big box stores and it's been causing some serious issues.

According to the Street, several big box retailers have begun to roll out new security policies to prevent kids under 18 from hanging out in their stores. Those policies have come from a rise in teenager incidents, including theft, inside big box stores.

One of those major retailers is Target. Shared on Reddit, one Target location in Boston has instituted a new policy. No one under the age of 18 may enter that Target location without being accompanied by adult supervision.

That Target in South Bay recently did away with self-checkout lanes as well due to rising theft and other issues. Their "under 18" policy is meant to keep the store cordial and without incident.

The Boston store is not the first Target to put the under 18 policy into place. Stores in other major cities like Washington D.C. have already done the same. Walmart has instituted a similar policy in other major cities across the country as well with several other major retailers considering similar moves.