To think that daughter wont be able to go clubbing due to tightening of age checks

[Carolinethe]

My DD is one of the youngest in her year -August baby- and so has only just turned 17.

She has several friends who are turning 18 shortly and one has already mentioned going to nightclubs etc. She gors to the pub with friends and I gather has been served alcohol before now but I dont like to probe too much.

My perception is that licensing requirements have been tightened up so its much harder to get in if you are under 18 these days. I dont want to tell her to try and blag it and have the embarassment of being turned away by a bouncer for not being old enough when all her friends will have got in. So realisticall is she fated to not going clubbing until until next year when probably the attraction will have worn off/ everyone will be going away?

In my day we were attending clubs from about 15 onwards and I had various forms of ID stating fale birthdates to make us 18+ for when we were asked. I believe now this has been clamped down on so that id is only available with proof of birthday etc so no chance of faking it.

what do others do? Or is it out of reach for her?

I sort of see that it sucks for her, and she’s going to miss a few things that seem to matter agrd 17/18.

However, it’s not a huge deal really, and she’ll get over it.

It is right that venues are tightening up for everyone’s safety and for their own licensing.

Have age checks tightened? I was always ID’d, and I’m 31 now. I got turned away from clubs twice when I was old enough but didn’t have my ID with me. She should probably be prepared for being turned away if she’s going to chance it…

I went clubbing (in the eighties!) from the age of 15. I’m only 5’1 now so I dread to think what height I was then!

Yes it’s out of reach for her - because she’s 17 and not of legal age to drink. What’s wrong with you? You’re her mother, not her best mate.

A club found serving her could lose their licence. She’ll just have to find other things to do until she’s 18. She is likely to have ID checked at every stage, and quite right too.

Clubbing and underage drinking isn’t a mandatory rite of passage. Far fewer young people drink like we used to in the 1990s anyway, and that can only be a good thing.

I'm sure she'll live

Your precious child will be fine without going clubbing, and much safer too! You can both get over it

Yes, there are far more checks. My dd hasn't done any as clubs were closed due to covid but until recently she worked for a company checking age ID compliance. Places are checked on a regular basis.

She and her friends will have to find other things to do. Or if her friends are unwilling to make this sacrifice she may need to find other friends to do things with, or spend more time on her own.

Many, many people never go clubbing as teens, even if they're old enough to be allowed in. Life can still be rich and meaningful.

I get ID’d more now aged 36 than I did when I started clubbing aged 14/15…

In my town, every single person has to show id which is scanned to get in anywhere. She shouldn't even try it until she is 18.

@elgatogato

I got ID'd last month and I'm 37.

DH often gets ID'd and he's 6ft2 with a big beard.

It's so much stricter than in our teen years.

That's funny...I even got ID'ed last year and I'm 47! Guess I was having an exceptionally good day appearance-wise, or the lady had very poor eyesight.

Pretty sure clubbing isn't passe at 18. Certainly the students round here dont seem to think so. Her turn will come.

@Cameleongirl that's impressive. I think Im more likely to be offered a seat on the bus than asked to prove that Im over 18.

There’s a rotating trade in renting out/selling provisional licences around here. They change then create a social media profile to match as sometimes they get asked to show that to see if it matches.

Yes it's stricter.

Occasionally someone will get away with it, if they are the only one who 'forget' their driving licence amongst a group who clearly 'beling' together and everyone else has ID. But you can't count on that.

And yes, it is a shame when someone is age-barred from doing all the things their classmates can. But there will be about 1.5 months worth in the same position at the end of the school year

Of course these with Sept birthdays either have to go alone, not much fun, or wait until classmates are old enough. So coearlymthe best place to be is a happy medium

Here IDs are scanned for entry in nightclubs.
Even the pubs do checks?

[quote Porcupineintherough]@Cameleongirl that's impressive. I think Im more likely to be offered a seat on the bus than asked to prove that Im over 18. [/quote]
She must've had poor eyesight, that's the only realistic explanation. It did give me a boost, though.

@Cantthinkofaname21

Here IDs are scanned for entry in nightclubs. Even the pubs do checks?

Some do, some don't

Word gets round...

I don’t expect she’d have much luck.

Back in the 90s there was a club that was known locally as The Early Gurning Centre because they’d let us all in from about 14, no questions asked. Particularly if you wore a short dress.

I'm 42 and was asked to pull down my mask in Aldi when buying wine. The cashier took one look at my face and served me straight away. Gutted!

She won't be able to get in anywhere decent. I'm 34 and even when I was 16/17 a lot of places ID'd.

I know where you are coming from OP- my dd is an August birthday too! She's 16 at the moment so clubbing not really on the radar just yet, but being a whole year younger than most of your friends is tricky. Even when they have left sixth form she won't be 18 until over 2 months later so won't be able to go with her friends after the graduation prom as is the tradition at her school.

It is a problem younger children have throughout childhood- holiday clubs and activities are always split on age rather than school year group- so dd had to go to Rainbows when almost all her friends in her class were at Brownies and so on.

When I lost my passport for a while a few years ago I went to a local bar a few hours early and took a book because they didn't ask for ID until 8pm.... probably looked like a bit of a knob on my own but at least I didn't get FOMO. Maybe she could do that?

There are needlessly unpleasant posts on here.

Being set apart from others can be difficult at any age.

I went clubbing from 15 in the 80s. Clubbing is for teenagers really.

The ID thing is a bummer, but hey, there will be others in the same boat.