Mall At Robinson's 'youth escort policy' goes into effect Friday
ROBINSON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) - Today, a new policy is going into effect at the Mall at Robinson.
This comes on the heels of a new curfew going into effect at the Waterfront Shopping Center a few weeks ago and now, the Mall at Robinson is instituting some new rules of its own.
While it's not quite a curfew, the new youth escort policy at the mall will be for underage visitors to be accompanied by an adult at certain times.
Beginning today, all mall guests under the age of 18 will be required to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian over the age of 21 on Fridays and Saturdays after 3 p.m.
The parent or guardian must always accompany the minors and will be responsible for their behaviors.
Proof of age will be required if the age of the youth and/or their parent or guardian is not easily determined. Those who lack ID will be asked to leave the property.
It is important to note that mall security will not be responding to calls from stores of unaccompanied minors unless they are creating a disturbance.
Stores such as DICK's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and Macy's are not included in the youth escort policy because they are stores with exterior entrances.
We spoke with Jeff Butya, the manager of the All-Star restaurant on mall property and he said he hasn't seen any issues that would warrant the new changes.
"Robinson Mall, they do a great job, it's very quiet," he said. "Kids have a great time over there. I mean, I deliver food over there constantly and you never see anything. You see empty halls now in the afternoon, which is frustrating, but I don't see any problems."
He said that it's an overreaction and that it's a great way for kids to socialize and learn how to mingle with one another.
"What's everyone going to do, sit at home and play on their phone?"
You can see the mall's youth escort policy on its website at this link.