Youth curfew around the world

MANY places in the world have had a youth curfew in effect for years. The United States reportedly enacted its first juvenile curfew in 1880 in Omaha, Nebraska.

United States

At least 500 US cities have curfews on teenage youth. In most of these cities, curfews prohibit children under 18 from being on the streets after 11pm during the week and after midnight on weekends. About 100 cities, including Los Angeles, also have daytime curfews to keep children off the streets during school hours.

Australia

Australia introduced a curfew system banning teenagers, aged 13 to 16, from leaving their homes at night without being accompanied by their parents in the early 2000s. Teenagers found flouting the rule are hauled up by the police and taken to the station, where they will be “held” until their parents come to pick them up. According to the Australian government, the move is aimed at countering the increasing number of teenagers who were found “drinking, using drugs and sniffing glue”.

Thailand

In 2007, Thai police issued a directive prohibiting children under 18 in Bangkok from leaving their homes after 10pm without justified reasons. Teenagers caught hanging out at night in Bangkok without valid reasons would be taken to the police stations where their statements would be recorded. Their parents would be called to pick them up.

Germany

In Germany, teenagers under 16 years of age are barred from clubs after midnight, while youth under 18 need authorisation from parents to go to a concert, and kids under 18 can only stay in the cinema until midnight.

Britain

A new legislation was introduced in 2001 to give local authorities the power to impose curfew for children under 16 in their areas. In a town in Cornwall, southwest England, a police-enforced curfew to tackle anti-social behaviour was implemented in 2008 to keep under-10s off the streets by 8pm and under16s by 10pm.