There is a common belief that many youngsters spend too much of their leisure time at shopping centres. I disagree that this has negative impacts, and believe that malls are a great place for them to spend time with their families with the many entertainment options available. 

On the one hand, shopping malls encourage heavy consumerism and spending too much time there has negative impacts on young people and society in general in terms of expenditure. Malls house an array of shops, from affordable fashion to luxury branded goods to entice youngsters to spend money. For instance, the general target audience of stores like Topshop and Zara tend to target young adults, encouraging them to spend lots to have the latest trends, thus encouraging a consumerist society and young people to waste money. 

On the other hand, shopping malls are a great way for youngsters to spend time with families and is beneficial for teenagers themselves as well as society. Malls have various forms of entertainments like cinemas and large food courts to accommodate families, making it opportunistic for teenagers to bond with parents and siblings. This is especially evident at Chadstone shopping mall in Melbourne, where many young people spend time with families on weekends or have a meal together, in turn benefiting local family ties within communities. In this regard, youngsters spending time at shopping malls with families has its positive impacts.

I personally disagree that it is wholly negative for young people and society to be spending time at shopping malls. Whilst they may encourage unnecessary spending, it is a much healthier choice than engaging in illicit activities such as drinking alcohol or doing drugs. Instead, as mentioned above, malls can encourage familial bonding within young adults due to the many facilities and shops available. On a bigger scale, society benefits as a whole with less young adults on backstreets and instead spending time with their families.