Growing Up Controlled

Are Kids Harmed By the Mall? Kids in American today spend much time in malls according to Kowinski’s article. Kowinski thinks malls have a bad influence on American kids because kids waste too much time in the malls doing unproductive activities. I agree with Kowinski that kids are harmed by the mall because it limits free thinking on different sets of values, opportunity to succeed, and learning from adults. Malls have negative influences on American teenagers because malls preprogram kids to all have the same set of values, which is to be consumers. Teenagers have less opportunity to think what they kind of life style they want to have because they are automatically indoctrinated to “shop” since they are small. According to Kowinski’s article, malls give people a sense that the goal of life is all about making money and spending it on products. However, consuming should not be the main goal of life. Malls restrain the way people think, so kids today are not able to have critical thinking about their lives. For example, my cousin, Joyce, grew up in California. When she was little, my aunt, Joyce’s mom, would usually drop her in the mall due to her work. Because my aunt was unable to take care of my cousin, she let my cousin spend her own time in the mall sometimes after school. Everytime, before my aunt dropped off Joyce at the mall, she would always give her some money so she could buy food or whatever she wanted. Gradually, my cousin got used to the consuming style, and she thought the mall was part of her life. Malls preprogrammed her to be a consumer in the future. Now, whenever my cousin goes to malls, she feels the necessity to spend money. My cousin’s mind has been influenced by malls since she was young, so she can not think independently now. She thinks mall is the place where she has to spend money. Malls are bad to American kids because they promotes kids to become consumers and allows kids to have less chance to think on their own ways. Malls