The Long Beach City Council is considering a controversial policy aimed at protecting kids at its parks. Four council members recently authored a motion to ban childless adults from park playgrounds. An ordinance to be drafted by the city attorney would create “safe spaces” or “kid zones” limited to children 12 and under plus their caregivers.
Safe outdoor spaces are vital to the healthy development of children. They provide exercise and recreation areas, emotional and social enrichment opportunities, and promote community use of public green spaces.
In playground design, everything from the height of the structure to the type of surfacing used is based on guidelines that reflect use by toddlers and children aged 2 to 5 and/or 5 to 12 years old. Adult use of playground equipment can result in structural damage that may lead to safety hazards for the children who use it after them. Residents have also recently reported adults misusing public playground spaces by engaging in other activities that discourage proper use by children and their guardians.
Given recent upticks in vandalism/damage and resident concerns about the safety and availability of the City's playgrounds to families, it is necessary we explore measures that promote safe outdoor spaces. By establishing "Kid Zones," this recommendation ensures the City's playground equipment and play areas specifically designed for children remain safe and available spaces for use by children. These zones would be easily identifiable and enforceable with signage identifying the area. This recommendation would not apply towards other public spaces in parks, including but not limited to benches, fields, and restrooms. Cities in New York, Oregon, Colorado, Florida and California have already adopted policies for "Kid Zones" to ensure the safety of children in playgrounds.
A similar proposal was once under consideration in Los Angeles but it was a abandoned after heavy criticism from the ACLU. The civil rights group argued that there are already laws in place to ensure public safety without restricting access to public facilities. It added that “criminalizing adults for simply being adults is not the solution."