Every year, over 40 million people visit the Mall of America and over 600 million people have visited it since its opening. The average population for a small town is 6,200 and over 75% of Americans go to the mall once a month making it the third most visited place in America after work and home according to JCDecaux North America.

Americans go to the mall to buy clothes and other products from luxurious stores, name brand stores, home improvement stores. Many also go to the mall to hang out with friends and standing idle without purchasing from places, making themselves an easy target. Parents argue that it is not safe for children in their middle school years to attend the mall unsupervised, but others claim “it is safer than ever” said Mr. Blackmore, a science teacher at Woodbridge Middle School in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

Mr. Blackmore has a 12 year old daughter who is a dancer as well as a younger son. As a scientist he looks at the statistics that have led him to believe that the world is “safer than ever” and “we have access to too much information”. When asked what he takes into consideration to determine a place safe, he said, “It’s a feeling, an awareness.”

Mrs. Liastro, who disagreed, thinks that it is unsafe. Mrs. Liastro is a world history and civics teacher at Woodbridge Middle School.  She said that she is worried “they were doing stuff to get in trouble, things that can harm someone else like bullying”. Mrs. Liastro has two children, both boys who are not yet in middle school.

According to ABC News, Businesses care about this subject, but for a benefiting reason, money. By 2010, 66 malls have put restrictions on unsupervised teens making a person over the age of 21 accompany them. This policy has improved the amount of cash businesses are making sales go up to about 3 to 10 percent for a certain mall. The businesses are enjoying the increase of customers.

A Woodbridge Middle School 7th grader named Justin described a safe place as “cozy and warm” and the people “funny”. Justin said that he was allowed to go to the mall unsupervised, while others are not allowed because their parents are “afraid for them”. He said that his parents drop him off there and leave when he wants to go, meaning that several other parents agree with Mr. Blackmore.

Being alert and cautious in a dangerous situation is key, so people must look out. Mr. Olvesen claimed that “when you are in a dangerous situation, don’t even talk, just walk away.” While an 8th grader said what makes them suspicious is “(A stranger) Saying hi, asking for my name, my age, or where I live.”

While there is never a totally safe place due to the possibility of a catastrophic world event happening, there is a safe feeling at different places. Most of the middle school students at WMS preferred Menlo Park Mall because of that feeling. But even if Menlo Park Mall has a safe “feeling”, teens must always be alert, because anything can happen.