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Original poster

Are teenagers allowed out?!

52 replies

CovidStoleTheRainbow · 05/11/2020 21:05

Came home from a long shift tonight and teenager is out.
DH forgot it was lockdown, DS claimed you're allowed to meet with one person, and I said nay.

Maybe DS will meet with one person, but will that one person only meet with him?

And can I trust DS to meet with one person for a month? Probably not.

I assumed the blanket rule would be, go to school, come home and stay in.

His argument is, is that the friends he meets are the friends he's with at school.

I argued the bubble thing and that didn't make sense either.

How is everyone else handling the teenage/freedom thing??

OP posts:
Ihatemyseleffordoingthis · 05/11/2020 22:13

Lol @LindaEllen

Poppyappeal · 05/11/2020 22:18

Bitbusyattheminute

Brilliant!

ceeveebee · 05/11/2020 22:22

[quote TibetanTerrier]@sirfredfredgeorge
You've completely ignored one of the reasons for leaving the house, "open air recreation" with one other person - which is general socialising, so no the teen cannot meet up with friends - but they can meet up with a friend.

"Open air recreation" isn't mentioned in the 5th Nov instructions. In fact, they say "In general, you must not meet people socially...... You should minimise time spent outside your home."[/quote]
It is one of the exceptions in the legislation
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1200/regulation/6/made

Bouledeneige · 06/11/2020 00:50

Teenagers have the same rules as us. They can meet one friend for a walk outside.

Bouledeneige · 06/11/2020 00:58

If I can go for a walk with one other person why can't my teen? I read the rules issued and it's allowed.

SleepingStandingUp · 06/11/2020 01:24

Why does he want to go out?
If they hanging out in a big group, no.
If they're going to be sitting around drinking cider, no.
If they're genuinely just two of them and they're going for a walk or to kick a ball around etc so constitutes exercise, yes.

You can go grab a take out coffee and have a walk through the park with you mate, so can he

Bit that's CAN not SHOULD.

I'd argue if he's in a bubble with his mate at school and you're not in a bubble with your mate at work, he's cussing less ha potentially than you

WhentheDealGoesDown · 06/11/2020 06:45

There isn’t an age restriction on meeting one person outdoors, the only restriction is that if you take children with you they are under five and it doesn’t have to be the same person each time as it is not a bubble.

Jroseforever · 06/11/2020 06:48

If I had a teen, I would 100.% allow out.

I would urge to stick to one. B even if I sensed that perhaps that wasn’t going to be strictly adhered to, I would still allow out.

In fact... I would actively encourage my teen to get out and meet a friend (hopefully not plural but as I say - I wouldn’t stop him or her If I had suspicions that perhaps there would be more than one)

movingonup20 · 06/11/2020 07:07

He can meet 1 person socially distanced in a public place for exercise and general wellbeing. Not multiple people sequentially. He's right but his comment about being together all day makes me think it's not just 1 and they aren't distancing. I personally didn't let my kids roam around after dark randomly in normal times, they only went out for specific reasons. Parks aren't safe at night

StealthPolarBear · 06/11/2020 07:27

This is pretty much the opposite of the other thread. My feelings are somewhere in the middle and I have no idea what's best

Sweetchillijam · 06/11/2020 07:40

The rule is one person for exercise purposes only.

DD struggled with her MH last time. So we have said she can meet her best friend once a week for a walk and chat. Its so cold here they have to keep moving to keep warm. She is more than happy with that as she thought she might not be able to meet anybody.

Its freezing cold up north and dark early I wouldn’t be encouraging supporting them meeting up with unpteen friends and being out most nights or for long periods. As the whole idea is to minimise social contact.

Original poster
CovidStoleTheRainbow · 06/11/2020 07:42

@StealthPolarBear can you link the other thread?

OP posts:
AuntieStella · 06/11/2020 07:48

That's what lockdown by me has been like for 2 weeks, anyway

Which country are there in? and if England, which tier. Because what was described over the previous two weeks might have been entirely permissible.

(But hey, this is MN, bit of gratuitous ageist stereotyping is par for the course)

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 06/11/2020 07:51

Oh good grief. No, it doesn’t have to be for exercise. You can just sit on a bench

From the legislation for the November restrictions

Exceptions: leaving home
...
Exception 1: leaving home necessary for certain purposes
...
d)to visit a public outdoor place for the purposes of open air RECREATION
...
(iii)with one other person who is not a member of their household or their linked household

(My caps, and I’ve skipped parts)

starfish4 · 06/11/2020 08:08

DD has come home from uni. We've told her if she's living under our roof, we'd appreciate it if she only mixes with others she knows are careful and isn't seeing someone different every day. She's isolating for a few days, but says she was planning to walk with the same one friend every day anyway - we trust her.

Todaythiscouldbe · 06/11/2020 08:56

My teen DS is going out tonight, he's at school all day today with 200 kids in his bubble, I'm not telling him he can't go for a walk and a takeaway drink or food with his girlfriend. I've followed all the rules from day one and so has he. We're going to have a whole generation of kids too scared to do anything at this rate if people are making up 'rules'.

NightRiders · 06/11/2020 09:12

The rule is one person for exercise purposes only.

It isn't though!

Presumably so that older people can meet one person outside without having to walk the whole time.

ceeveebee · 06/11/2020 09:18

Here we go again, mumsnet making up their own rules without bothering to read the actual legislation
Won’t be long before everyone is quoting a fictional time limit on exercise or insisting that tampons are non essential...
You are allowed to meet one person for open air recreation. That can be a bike ride, a run or just chatting. And there are no rules that it has to be the same person every time.

SoThisisMe · 06/11/2020 09:32

I'm letting Dd see her friends outside only, but otherwise I'm not restricting her.
She's in a bubble with them at school. Other than that she only sees me, her Dad and her brother.
Last lockdown she become sad and anxious. I'm too concerned about her mental health to stop her seeing the people she's with all day at school anyway.
She hasn't hugged and has barely seen her grandparents (she's very close to her Nan) since early March. Hasn't seen her much loved cousins since January and as they don't live in England won't see them until at least next Spring.
I won't make it worse for her. Last time almost broke us both.

Biscuitsneeded · 06/11/2020 09:33

Yes, they can go out for a walk or bike ride or whatever with one other person as long as they SD. However, the problem with this lockdown is that whereas most teenagers were pretty sensible and compliant last time (mine were actually brilliant), this time they are going to school and spending all day stuffed in poorly ventilated classrooms with friends, so they cannot understand why they can't see those same friends outside school. While I do understand it's about separating out essential and non-essential risk, I think many parents will struggle to prevent teens from going out and seeing friends this time, because they are being deprived of all their sports/drama/music/dance clubs outside school yet being forced to do very boring lessons (covid rules necessitate) and are still expected to set GCSEs. (Even with huge gaps in their education from the last lockdown and repeated bubble closures and isolation). I think we do need this lockdown but the problem with closing schools is that this will mean the lockdown doesn't work - not just because of transmission in schools, but because it doesn't feel in any way real to kids or anyone who is still going to work. My commute yesterday was as busy as ever - I just can't see this 4 weeks having the desired effect until they close the schools too, and then I think teenagers would respect the lockdown.

Biscuitsneeded · 06/11/2020 09:34

Sorry, the problem with NOT closing schools - haven't had my coffee yet!

Ihatemyseleffordoingthis · 06/11/2020 10:00

totally @ceeveebee

I will positively encourage my teens to go out for walks/skating with a friend, behaving in line with restrictions. Their mental health is important, for them, for me and for our future society. They can and they should.

cologne4711 · 06/11/2020 11:34

Teens are allowed out in the same way as anyone else, as long as they follow the rules and only meet one other person at a time. It doesn't need to be outdoor exercise, just "recreation" which could be sitting on a bench chatting as long as they are 2m apart.

If they can go to school and college and get on public transport to get there, I don't see any issue with them going out with one friend. Although I would strongly encourage daylight hours only, if only because there seems to be a bit of an epidemic of antisocial behaviour even in naice areas and I wouldn't want my son getting caught up in it.

Aragog · 06/11/2020 11:55

Anyone is allowed to meet one other person, but should be socially distancing throughout and outdoors, not indoors or private garden.

There are no rules on how many times you do this throughout the day and that person doesn't have to be the same person each time.

It's irrelevant who they hang out with at school - the school rules are different and only applicable whilst at school. Just because they hang out in big groups without social distancing in school doesn't mean they are allowed to outside of school.

TinyDancer78 · 06/11/2020 12:24

@Biscuitsneeded I completely agree. If schools were closed then teenagers would be a lot more accepting of the situation.
My DD only left the house to walk with me during the first lockdown. She suffered a lot and felt detached from friends once back at school. She is in Y11 and the pressures are huge. They’re expected to “perform” in every lesson despite missing months of learning just in case they use CAGs again. She is paranoid about being sent home due to someone in her bubble (of 180!) testing positive as she can’t afford to miss anymore teaching time. She regularly has non specialist supply teachers covering lessons. The pressure on these kids is awful without the usual distractions available to them in such a stressful academic year. She is also a keen dancer and all her dance classes are now cancelled or on zoom. The least I can do is let her go for a walk with the boyfriend she sits next to in classes throughout the day and every lunchtime.
I totally understand the argument about essential and non-essential contact and how we can best minimise it but, as far as I’m concerned, it should be a reasonable and holistic view as to what is essential.