As cities expand and businesses open, more and more attractions appear for leisure. Yet, in 2024, suitable public spaces for teenagers are still not accessible to the youth.
Teenagers are restricted from enjoying outdoor leisure activities due to the inaccessibility of these spaces. There are many places present in cities filled with entertainment for teenagers, yet these audiences cannot access them due to the lack of transportation, which is necessary as a result of limited pedestrian-friendly spaces.
For students that don’t have driver’s licenses these issues continue. “I do not have my drivers license yet, which restricts me from going outside to many places that I want to go,” said junior Shalini Chandupatla. “Walking to these places takes longer so even that is not a viable option for me. Winter weather also makes walking to places I want to hang out at harder,” added Chandupatla.
Additionally, places accessible to teens are incredibly unaffordable. Most options for leisure activities involve paying money that teenagers do not have. If teenagers cannot walk to places to work, they are further unable to raise money for personal uses
Leisure for teenagers involves expenses they cannot afford. “It is unfair that teens get paid lower salaries than the average adult, but overall get charged the same amount for leisure activities. Teens’ youth comes at the expense of inaccessible public spaces,” expressed senior Paige Melody.
As teens are unable to access public spaces, they are also excluded from being able to go to available ones.
Land ordinances and curfews prevent teenagers from entering certain outdoor spaces. They are essentially forced inside due to these restrictions, which is harmful to their growth as adolescents.
Adolescents need public spaces and social excursions to develop through their youth. By being able to enter social environments, they are able to develop the emotional skills necessary to navigate the world as adults.
Accessible spaces provide havens for students outside of school. “Public spaces allow teenagers to grow emotionally as they serve as a fun space for leisure outside of a stressful school environment,” stated junior Natalie Brown.
Teenagers have reported low mental health rates in the recent years with an estimated 14% of 10 to 19-year-olds experiencing mental health conditions and with suicide as the third leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds.
With accessible public spaces these numbers could drop due to better outlets for students to interact with their peers and find mental peace. Going into nature helps alleviate depression and cognition for children with attention defects.
Due to lack of public spaces, teenagers are forced to find leisure activities inside of their homes. This leisure typically entails spending hours and hours on social media, an activity that teens are typically scrutinized for.
By being forced indoors, teenagers are essentially forced onto their phones. Currently, 72% of teens feel as though they are more peaceful without their phones and 44% say that they are more anxious with it. If students are able to spend more time outside, they won’t be forced into a life of anxiousness.
Increasing accessibility for teenagers in public spaces allows them to develop healthy habits and find an outlet to improve their mental health.
