It is important for young people to have access to safe third spaces. This is important so that they can take their mind off school and have fun while doing it. Another reason is so they have a fall back in case they have no place to go and their home life is a mess. Then they won’t have to be stuck in a toxic environment so they can take their mind off home. Even with all of this Philadelphia and other places are restricting teenagers' thirds spaces. Most adults don’t think about this when they ban teenagers.

Teenagers have a lot to do so having a distraction away from home is a necessity. I know this because in the article “We can’t blame the youth” by Ameen Akbar, he states, "Without positive role models and mentors, where and what is the path forward for  a young person in a city, or anywhere?" This shows that the mentors and role models are important for young teenagers and  can distract from other things going on when needed to. How can young teenagers meet more role models that can help them if they don’t have access to any third spaces? Well they can’t really this is why it is important for teenagers to have third spaces available to them. Some examples of third places teenagers could go to are rec centers, parks and  gyms.

Third spaces give teenagers their identities so we need more of them. Some people might argue we already have a good amount of third spaces  but to them I would say well what if we really want people to be limited in their ability to expose themselves to what they want and what can and will limit people's identities is a problem. Some evidence to back this up is in an article it states, “the Fashion District Mall will soon require those under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult after 2pm daily.” This is an example of what we shouldn’t do. This limits teenagers freedom and access to third spaces which limits their identity. 

In summary I think it is important to have safe third spaces for teenagers to have access to. One reason is so that teens can express their identities. Another reason is so teens have another place to go in case of an emergency. My final reason is so teens meet role models and friends that can help distract them from school.