Govan Asda's ban on teenagers branded a 'breach of human rights'
The store says unaccompanied under 16s will not be allowed to enter after staff were subjected to physical and verbal abuse
Last updated 13th Apr 2023
Teenagers under the age of 16 will not be allowed to enter Govan Asda after 6pm without an adult present, following verbal and physical abuse to staff.
It is the latest of a series of actions taken to curb teenage antisocial behaviour in venues across Scotland - earlier this year, McDonald's in Silverburn took similar measures to ban unaccompanied youths.
A spokesperson for Asda said: "We have made the decision not to allow schoolchildren into our Govan, Glasgow store after 6pm following several cases of physical and verbal abuse towards our colleagues.
"We have also spoken to the police and local schools about this decision and will review the situation again after the summer holidays.”
'Breach of rights'
However, the decision is being met with disapproval from a young person's charity.
Meg Thomas is head of Research, Policy and Participation at Includem.
She said: "I think fundamentally this is a breach of children's rights.
"They have a right to play, participate in cultural activities and connect with people that matter to them, so keeping them out of these spaces is a breach of that.
"Forcing young people to spend time only with adults doesn't fit with developmental needs to learn how to be independent.
"For this age group, we need to remember they were the ones who were most adversely impacted by the pandemic.
"Schools were closed, they lost that transition from primary to secondary and that ability to move independently and they are just relearning that now.
"They're dealing with a whole heap of anxiety, mental health issues, increased pressures and we're expecting them to just get on with it and not recognise that this had a huge impact on them, and their ability to understand how to socialise well."
'It won't solve anything'
Meg believes a blanket ban on all teens will unfairly target those who do not act antisocially and young people who are carers.
She added: "I think the thing that concerns me most about this ban is that it will most adversely impact children who are in poverty.
"Teens with means can pay to get into places like cinemas or bowling where it's acceptable for them to be - those without money don't have dry and warm free spaces to meet friends as youth clubs across the country are closing.
"A blanket ban won't solve anything.
"We absolutely need to protect the staff, but we need to use a targeted approach to help the young people who are making these decisions and use restorative practices to help them learn."