Malls, the last refuge of teen freedom, are tightening their grip

With summer freshly underway, Julia Ortiz and Yanni Marneris, cherub-faced, reclined in rocking chairs on the pretend village green by the pretend Main Street USA in front of a real but dry fountain, talking and watching the sunny afternoon unfold. They were in violation of a policy becoming standard issue at the malls of suburban Baltimore that requires anyone 17 years old or younger to be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old.