Teens often get told that they should partake in more wholesome activities, and when brainstorming said activities, one might naturally assume going to the movies. However, due to some bad behavior by some unsupervised teens, everyone now has to suffer. As one thinks of activities that most teens can do, one may think of going to a movie, but there has been a change in the policies at one of the busiest theaters in town, Marcus. The theater’s recently developed rule is: if a guest is underage and it’s past 6 p.m., they have to be accompanied by an adult that is at least 25 years old. In this town, there are mainly two common theaters. The other auditorium is Collins Road Theater, which can sell out fast and might not be showing the common movies that young adults would want to see. This means that when this company made this change, it impacted the community in an extensive way.
Even though the town has a great number of shops or restaurants, there aren’t many places that provide activities for young adults. When this theater is one of the only pastimes that teens can participate in, it can make an increase of people partaking in more parties or underage drinking. According to Partnership to End Addiction, “Teens who can’t deal with being alone, have trouble keeping themselves occupied or crave excitement are prime candidates for substance use. Not only do alcohol and marijuana give them something to do, but those substances help fill the emptiness they feel.” Many teens can’t find different hobbies, and with different changes and hormonal increases, some think illegal substance use is the only entertaining activity. With the theaters making these new policies, many young adults will replace their movie time with other unintelligent choices.
A lot of teens have already experienced the negative effects of this system. Some people may not want to go to a movie with their parents for various reasons. This could be because they are with their friends, want to feel independent, or they don’t want to feel the pressure of being with an adult. According to Greater Good Magazine, “Being among peers during times of stress may offer adolescents an open, supportive and rewarding space which may help dampen the emotional turbulence that adolescence can bring.” When teens are with their friends, the majority of people feel more comfortable opening up to each other. Young adults can share similar emotions and feel less judged because they are going through the same experiences as others their age. When teens are with their parents, it can be challenging for them to feel comfortable and may not be open to talking normally with their friends. This can cause more stress on the friendship and make the movie unpleasant.
There can be a couple of positives with this policy such as making the theater safer and making the facility cleaner, but there is no guarantee that the building will have less trash or items on the floor just because a group of teens have a parent there. A beneficial factor that has been put into place with this regulation is refunds. If one buys a ticket online and doesn’t know about the age limit, people can get their money back. This new procedure with the theater is decreasing the opportunities for young adults and also makes them feel uncomfortable around their friends.
The policy should be taken away and just let teens have an entertaining and enjoyable childhood. There are better ways to hold teens accountable while allowing those who always behave to avoid the unwarranted consequences.
