Camden market for teens

[custardlover]

I grew up going to Camden Market but haven't been in decades. Now my DS13 wants to go tomorrow with mates. He's never been before so hasn't got the basic geography sorted in his head but uses the tube all the time to go to school. He's being a group of 6/7 young teens (13 and 14 year old boys). I was a lot more streetwise than him as a teen - grew up in a council estate, very familiar with the area (lived nearby). I mean, obviously he knows everything now, but he has grown up in a naice area, not local, really not street smart.

DH is dead set against him going with his mates. He is more protective than I am. I'm not thrilled by the idea but I feel hypocritical not letting him go and also, when is he going to learn if he's not let?

DS looks a lot older than he is and I think looks like a target - 6foot, cocky, wearing his north face roadman gear and his llama haircut.

Londoners - what would you do?

Ten years ago when ds was 15 he started getting the tube into London to go to Camden,they all did at that age Not at 13.

What are his mates like, are they fairly sensible and have they been before? Camden market's been sanitised quite a lot over the past 20 years, it's more like an offbeat shopping mall now. It's the same as most of central London, he needs to be careful of pickpockets and moped mobile thieves. The main markets are so busy I never think of them as being unsafe, but a group of cocky young lads who don't know what they're doing might find trouble if they wander down some of the side roads I guess.

I don’t really understand the problem. Loads of local teens hang around the area. If he uses the tube to go to school, he must also be a Londoner. What are you scared of in particular?

Scared of him being a posh clueless target really. Not aware of his surroundings, on his phone, drawing attention to himself with his loud friends, getting lost, getting in a fight etc.

Scared isn't the right word - trepidatious closer to it. I'd feel more comfortable if he was familiar with it.

His friends are sweet but all like him. None of them have even been to Camden before.

Good to hear it's been sanitised. When I used to go at the same age - over 30 years ago - it was not sanitised at all and we used to smoke (and smoke) in Camden at 13.

I also used to hang around Camden market at 13 or so. It was safe enough then, I’m sure it’s much safer now. Can’t imagine not giving a child that freedom until 15.

I am very confused by this post. This is Camden we are talking about, not the back streets of Mexico City…

It’s very touristy now. My DS loves all the food stalls and my DD loves all the jewellery. Obviously there is a risk of pickpockets but that is the same in lots of areas. Personally I don’t think it is any more dodgy than any busy urban area in London.

It is a tourist shithole nowadays. Nothing like when I went as a teenager. I took my tweens a couple of weeks ago. He will be fine but it will be rammed busy and he will need to look out for phones on bloody selfie stick for TikTok so they don't take his eyes out.

He'll be fine. I would encourage him not to stray from the immediate area but otherwise ok. It's busy so he will just need to keep on eye on his phone etc. It's not what it was so he may be disappointed. Still quirky colourful shops on the high street.

London is no more dangerous than other parts of the uk ffs. Even less so in some areas.

Agree with others, phone in pocket and they will be fine.

Camden now is more like if Disney had a London market theme park, it’s full of families and tourists

We live an hour's train journey from London. My eldest DS started going to London in a year 11, he's young for the year so was 15. He didn't just go to Camden, he went everywhere- about 10 of them - I guess it was a novelty. I think 13 would have been a bit young, I'm not sure he'd have been able to navigate the underground (he's an expert now at 16 😂), and he was a bit scatty - couldn't trust that he wouldn't just lose his phone etc etc. My DD is 13 now, she's a bit more "on it" than he was at her age so possibly if she was going with a sensible friend I'd allow her to go and hang out in Camden - it's the getting there and back I'd worry about more than her being a target for anything....

We live half an hour out of London, so they had to catch the rain/tube in. Kids brought up in the country aren't always as train savvy. Anyway , 14/15 was when they all seemed to go from here, would've been younger I'm sure if we'd lived in London.

I went regularly as a 14 year old from the deepest darkest countryside - me and friends caught the train to Euston and had a blast! It was much rougher then and I bet your DS is wayyyy more streetwise than we were! 😂He’ll be fine.

When I first moved to London in 1997 I used to go regularly. I took DD about five years ago and it's changed so much,. It's a lot more expensive for one thing, and a lot of big brands have moved in. It's still very busy though. Like pp have said, phone in front pocket, keep your debit card and money safe, be aware of your surroundings, and it's fine.

Camden today is nothing like it was 20 years ago - of course you should let him go. I'm surprised it's even a question tbh.

Young teen boys in expensive clothes can be a bit of a target for muggers anywhere in London, from the West End to the suburbs - but in general Camden's not rough, just full of tourists and pickpockets. Chances are they'll be fine.

Make sure they know to stick to the main shopping areas, to keep their phones tucked out of view and not wander off into residential streets where fewer people are around.

It's a tourist trap now. A teenage Covent Garden complete with guided tours.
Am sure he'd be fine. But it still makes me sad that It's changed so much, I spent so much time there (a very long time ago)

You’d be surprised at what it’s like now, nothing like it was I was a teenager (20 years ago) so my advice for there would be the same as anywhere in London for teenagers - be aware of your phone and other stuff and who is around you.

Personally I didn't let my very un street wise 14 yr old go and it turns out non of the other parents were happy either.

I've heard too many stories of teenagers being mugged for trainers/phones/coats.

My dss was mugged at knife point for his coat at a train station just outside the M25. One of his friends was mugged again at knife point for his trainers.
My nephew and friends got mugged in Brighton for clothes and trainers and their phones. Literally made to strip.

Thanks but no thanks. Knife crime is a very real threat to teenage boys.

We live zone 6 and my starters going into central London with friends at about 14 I had been reluctant before.

She was fairly sensible and we onto London lots as a family but more the navigating around what if trains were all cancelled. Turns out she'd absorbed a lot of the basic geography on all our trips, the second trip their train home got terminated early in Tulane hill I think it was but they managed to work it out. I just drummed in to always keep phone safe - her friend didn't (at 17) and hit it taken from her coat pocket.

Youngest is starting to nag to go, she's a bit less sensible so I'm not so keen. I may compromise on Westfield as she can get there without going through central London.

Drill him on his phone being out and get him to write or memorise phone no and have cards elsewhere just in case phone is snatched.
It's fun, but utterly crammed packed

Ahhhh I used to love going there! I probably would have been a bit older, as i wouldn't have had the money to go until I was working a Saturday job, so probably 15/16. I am guessing it's a place i couldn't go back to though, nothing on this thread makes me want to ruin the memories. Where have all the grunge t shirts and bootleg cd's gone?

Nothing grunge or punk about it now, it's full of basics rather than emos and so many tourists. I don't know that it would be much fun, as pps have said, it's now an identikit shopping area with overpriced food stalls. However, i used to let mine go at the same age.