Teens are being banned from bowling alleys, skating rinks, malls, and theme parks —no wonder they’re on their phones all day
US News Metro Long Island Politics
Sports NFL MLB Olympics NBA NHL College Football College Basketball WNBA
Entertainment TV Movies Music Celebrities Awards Theater
Lifestyle Weird But True Sex & Relationships Viral Trends Human Interest Parenting Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Travel
Health Wellness Fitness Health Care Medicine Men’s Health Women’s Health Mental Health Nutrition
Science Space Environment Wildlife Archaeology
Today’s Paper Covers Columnists Horoscopes Crosswords & Games Sports Odds Podcasts Careers
Email Newsletters Official Store Home Delivery Tips
Switch between CA and NY editions here.
Teens are being banned from bowling alleys, skating rinks, malls, and theme parks —no wonder they’re on their phones all day
See more of our coverage in your search results.
The world seems intent on locking Gen Z down.
As children, they were given smartphones and iPads which taught them to see the world through a screen, rather than with their own eyes. As tweens and teens, their schools were shut down, sending them into the solitude of Zoom classes in their bedrooms.
And now they’re being shut out of communal spaces.
In Albany, unaccompanied teens are getting categorically banned from bowling alleys, roller skating rinks, and even grocery stores — sending them onto the streets or back to their screens for entertainment.
“Our culture keeps complaining about kids addicted to their phones,” Lenore Skenazy, president of kid-focused non-profit Let Grow and author of “Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry” told The Post.
“But when they are not allowed any place where they can meet up in real life, old-school, they turn to the escape hatch provided by [ex Apple CEO] Steve Jobs.”
It’s hard to imagine more wholesome settings than bowling........
