Opinion: Kennywood chaperone rule disrupts a teen tradition
This chaperone rule is going to make plans difficult for teenagers, but as time goes on more families will appreciate it.
December 8, 2020
Kennywood’s new age restrictions are sending a ripple of emotions through parents and children alike.
Kennywood recently publicized a new age restriction that says, “Guests aged 17 years and under must be accompanied by an adult chaperone beginning at 4:00 p.m.” For years it was a road to freedom and feeling mature for kids when their parents would let them go to Kennywood on their own with friends, but now that’s being taken away.
It isn’t hard to figure out why this new rule came about. Kennywood has had fights and other incidents recently involving teens at night. Now, with all teenagers having to be with an adult from 4 p.m. till closing, many parents will feel safer and want to take their younger children to the park more often.
A main problem with the 4 p.m. rule is that most parents work until 5 p.m., so teens who had been at the park earlier without a parent would have to leave. If the rule could take effect at 6 p.m., many people would be more accepting of this rule.
Another change that could help is that Kennywood could hire more security.
This chaperone rule is going to make plans difficult for teenagers, but as time goes on more families will appreciate it.
That isn’t the only recent change at Kennywood. The park has announced that it will be shutting down a few beloved rides: the Kangaroo, Paratrooper, Bayern Kurve, and the Volcano.
Kennywood has not announced what will be going in as replacements, but those rides will be missed. It is sad that future generations will not know what it is like to go on these rides, but the fun stories can be passed down.
Kennywood will always be loved by families, but fans will have to get used to the rule changes and the new rides.
