If you had a business and over time determined that 90% of all thefts, fights and trouble were caused by teenagers (say ages 15 to 19) could you legally ban them from the premises of your store or restaurant?
FWIW I believe **Kittenblue **works in a mall where under 18’s are not allowed access unaccompanied by an adult.
“Teenager” is not a protected class. So, yes.
Bars and liquor-serving dance clubs
Porn shops, adult stores
My Aunt Carmela’s living room
Casinos and bars do this all the time.
I don’t know if this is where kittenblue works, but a mall in downtown Cleveland bans all teens after 2:30 PM unless accompanied by an adult.
The business is not banning teenagers from being there, the government is (except for your aunt’s living room, of course ;)). However, I agree with the general sentiment.
In most states, there are truency laws whereby you can easily ban children (whom are unaccompanied by an adult) from the premises during normal school hours.
There are also quite a few concerts that are 18+, which isn’t for alcohol-serving reasons.
More complicated: Would you be able to ban 15-19 yos while allowing anyone <15 and >19?
Probably, but you have to expect it’d piss a lot of people off.
One reason why this isn’t done more is not because it’s illegal, but because teenagers are profligate spenders. You send the teens away (at least from stores which attract them in the first place), you’re sending away your customers.
–Cliffy
Does age discrimination only apply to employment?
Possibly, but possibly not. The malls that ban teenagers allow them in the company of parents. It would be hard to argue that a group of 14-year-olds could be allowed in while 15-year-olds would not be. I’d bet on an immediate lawsuit and I’m not sure the ban would stand. There have been numerous suits over teen curfews, teen restrictions, and teen bannings and many laws and prohibitions have fallen because of them.
But it is done in the cases in which the store owners feel that they are losing more business from adults than they gain from business from teens who cruise but don’t buy. Overall, teens are not good customers. Adults spend a heck of lot more money when they go to malls.
My SO and I have a dream of opening a restaurant for adults only. A place where you could eat in (relative) peace, not having to worry about hearing a baby or toddler scream. No worry of teens being loud. But with the convenient mid-range price instead of having to spend a fortune for a place that doesn’t really cater to kids.
Mall Of America doesn’t allow teens under 16 after 4 p.m. without an adult over 21.
I think I mentioned this here before, but a local chain of theaters has started a policy that I love. Each Friday night, they pick one screening of a popular movie and designate that screening as 21+. No babies, children or teenagers are allowed.
Some TV shows have age limits for the audience at tapings. E.g., Letterman’s show. No government rule at all. And since what goes on the air is not R-rated, at best it’s to limit exposure of children to the occasional (later to be bleeped) swear word. But I suspect they just don’t want kids.
Source: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html
If you are thinking about a Young Whippersnapper Get off My Lawn protection, forget it.
How would you enforce it? I could see in a place like a bar with a single entrance where you card everyone but not everyone has an ID. How would you tell an 18 year old from a 17 year old?
Like at the library kids under 14 have to use the computers for “under 14” but the kids discovered that they can go on the adult computers and if anyone asks they simply say “I’m 15,” and the librarian always accepts it.
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act does only apply to employment, as the name implies. It also only applies to those 40 or older, although some state and local employment laws prohibit any discrimination based on age.
Children (defined to include teenagers) are also protected from housing discrimination.
I am unaware of any law that prohibits retail discrimination against minors.