LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Meadows Mall is implementing a temporary youth curfew Thursday, requiring anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult age 21 or older while at the mall.
The policy takes effect at 3 p.m. Thursday and comes in response to concerning activity circulating on social media, according to mall leadership.
While Meadows Mall officials have not disclosed the exact nature of the posts or identified any specific threat, law enforcement says social media activity that could attract large crowds is taken seriously.
“We take everything we see or everything that we get notified of on social media very seriously,” said LVMPD Officer Robert Wicks. “We do try to get as many resources as we can to those locations during the time frames that are provided through social media.”
WATCH | Police discuss Meadows Mall's temporary youth curfew following social media concerns
The temporary curfew comes as the Las Vegas community continues to remember the events of Oct. 1, and businesses across the valley remain focused on public safety and preventing potential incidents.
Wicks said not every social media post results in police action. However, Metro evaluates online activity to determine whether there is a legitimate concern.
“Everything's vetted as much as we can before we actually decide if we need to take action or not, if it's kids just being silly or if there's legitimacy to the social media post,” Wicks said.
According to police, one of the biggest concerns involves online posts that encourage large gatherings of people who may not know one another.
“These social media posts that are suggesting these large gatherings, just in general, it just means a bunch of people from throughout the valley could show up,” Wicks said. “And once people don't know each other, things tend to get out of control a little bit quicker.”
This is not the first time Meadows Mall has responded to social media concerns with a temporary youth curfew. The mall implemented a similar policy in June.
Under the current rules, one adult may supervise up to four minors, and the group must remain together while inside the mall.
Mall officials say the policy will take effect at 3 p.m. Thursday and remain in place temporarily as a precautionary measure.
