THE DARK SIDE OF TEEN MALL CULTURE

This is so sad, and I must say that now that I think about it, I have seen a larger number of young teenagers running around my local mall, unsupervised. Most of the time they travel in packs - the 'goth' look seems to be a favorite, but not having children of my own, I very seldom take any notice of them other than when they annoy me and then usually one of my "looks" is enough to move them along!

It is true though that responsibility for children/teenagers does seem to belong to everyone else other than the parents. I recently called the mall to complain about children who were wandering around the car park trying to get money out of parking shoppers for a rugby tour or some other school type function. These kids were so intent on what it was that they were doing, that they were not taking traffic and the like into any kind of account. I almost drove over one youngster when he darted out between two cars, without actually looking where he was going. He actually ran into the side of my car! The Centre Management of the mall had no knowledge of these children in the car park and yet I am sure that if anything had happened to the kid, someone, somewhere would have blamed the mall.

Perhaps it is time that parents found out what their children are doing on a daily basis and take some responsibility for them. After all, it's their children - not anyone else's!

The dark side of teen mall culture
April 06 2007 at 11:31AM
By Ntokozo Mfusi

Teenage mall culture is alive and well and growing at an ever-increasing rate. However, the glitz and buzz of these so-called shopping "theatres" has a darker side, spawning anti-social behaviour that at times borders on outright violence, gang warfare and criminal activity. The recent closure of local under-18 clubs hasn't helped, nor has the lack of affordable recreational facilities for teenagers.

Stories from tenants and shoppers alike are legion, including reports of children as young as 11 and 12 experimenting with alcohol, smoking, even having sex. However, most of these concerns would probably have been swept away in the holiday rush if it were not for the killing of Sizwe James Mkwame, a 17-year-old schoolboy fatally stabbed at Gateway's Theatre of Shopping last Friday.


They then linked up with boys much older than themselves

The incident has prompted heightened awareness of the risks facing younger children who socialise without some adult supervision. A number of issues have emerged relating to negative aspects of mall culture.

Pavilion General Manager Preston Gaddy said a contributing problem was the number of young girls who arrived at the centre "inappropriately" dressed and heavily made up, which gave the impression they were far older than their years. They then linked up with boys much older than themselves. "Many parents have been dumbfounded when shown video footage of their children's behaviour."

Durban child psychologist Rita Suliman said the way many young children were mixing and meeting at venues outside their homes and schools was not appropriate for their age. It led to a syndrome of "experiencing too much too soon" which in turn led to boredom.

'Discipline and education start at home'

"Giving material things like money for entertainment and clothes can never take the place of time spent on a child's psychological development. Children don't need the mall to have fun. You have to ask where going to each others' homes and doing activities together have gone?" Suliman believed there was a tendency for parents to use malls as "tools" to take care of their kids." Just a few years ago television replaced social activities aimed at developing children. Now it's the mall. What's next?" Parents, she said, were supposed to lead by example and instil coping, surviving and defence mechanisms in their children. This appears not to be happening and children now need help.

It was an area of concern, she said, that parents no longer worked with teachers or took time to find out how their children were doing at school or socially. "All that is happening is that they shift the responsibility of instilling values and emotional grounding to others." There will always be things that tempt children, but with the proper value systems and background, children will develop their own boundaries," said Suliman. "You don't find problem children, you find problem parents."

Sayed Rajack, chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Parents' Association, said that in the light of recent events parents needed to take greater responsibility for their children. "Discipline and education start at home." He believed children should be involved in more sporting fixtures during the holidays. In the wake of mall culture concerns, Gateway spokesperson Max Henderson said there were plans to launch a communication campaign next week aimed at improving awareness in the surrounding community. Kelvin Glen, spokesperson for Business Against Crime in KwaZulu-Natal, said they were working on a project to assist the Retail Association, Shopping Centre Owners' Association and the Shopping Centre Council on safety and security issues.

"Shopping centre safety," he said "is not only about armed robberies but also social crime issues." For more information on Business Against Crime KwaZulu-Natal call 082 229 6349/031 332 0437 or email kelvinglen@mweb.co.za.
This article was originally published on page 4 of The Mercury on April 06, 2007