'No boys zone' emerges after 'no kids zone' trend

Netizens divided: 'understandable' vs. 'too harsh'

A notice posted at a cafe banning groups of middle and high school male students from entering has sparked debate online. [Captured from online community Bobaedream]
A notice posted at a cafe banning groups of middle and high school male students from entering has sparked debate online. [Captured from online community Bobaedream]

Following the spread of "no kids zones" that bar young children from entering, a new trend is drawing attention online: cafes banning middle and high school male students from their premises — a so-called "no boys zone."

A photo of one such notice, posted at a cafe, recently circulated on Threads before spreading to multiple online communities and social media platforms.

The notice read: "To prevent discomfort to other customers, male middle and high school students are prohibited from using this store."

The cafe cited specific reasons for the ban, including the use of profanity during conversations and leaving the store in disarray, adding that it was "an unavoidable decision" and asking for understanding.

Once the photo spread online, many users expressed sympathy for the owner's decision.

"Back in the day, kids would hang out in groups and be loud, but adults could scold them and they'd listen — these days it doesn't work at all," one user wrote. Others said groups of male students "swear nonstop, making it hard to be near them," and that such groups "can sometimes feel genuinely threatening." Several users said they fully understood the owner's position, with one asking, "How bad must it have gotten for a business owner to go this far?"

One user who identified as self-employed said they simply turn away middle and high school students by claiming there are no seats available. "I'd rather lose the sale than deal with the stress that comes with earning a few small coins," the user wrote.

However, some critics argued that barring all male students from entering — treating them as potential troublemakers — goes too far.

Some users pushed back, saying it was excessive "to ban entry entirely because of the bad behavior of a few," and that "girls are just as bad when they get together." Others noted that it is always the well-behaved students who suffer while the troublemakers are a minority, with some adding that "the world feels like it's becoming a colder, bleaker place."


betterj@heraldcorp.com