UPDATE: CHERRY VALLEY, Ill. (WIFR) -- It is 24 hours after Cherryvale Mall's new Youth Escort Policy has taken off and the mall says it went off without a hitch. The mall says while they know it will take a few months to get families back in the shopping center, they were very pleased with the increased number of families they did see in just one day.

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UPDATE: CHERRY VALLEY, Ill (WIFR) -- CherryVale Mall's new youth escort policy or Y.E.P. is seeing the light of day. The new policy has some age restrictions, but the mall feels this is a necessary step.

"I want to stress we value our teenage shoppers," said Melissa Cavanagh, Marketing Director at CherryVale Mall. "This policy is in effect for a very small number of hours throughout the week."

The mall announced a policy change earlier this month that applies to anyone under the age of 18. Simply put they are not allowed to enter the mall between four and eight pm on Fridays and Saturdays without someone over the age of 21. The mall says this is being done to bring the atmosphere back to a family friendly feeling and keep out teens who were loitering around and causing some issues. Some shoppers think this is a great change while others are concerned saying the age cut off feels a little too strict.

"I think it's a good thing that it's happening," said Lena Lund, an 18 year old shopper. " I think people a lot of people are scared to come to the mall because of all the incidents that have happened, and I think this might put an end to that."

"For other people it might be pushing it, too childish," said Kasim Burton, a 17 year old shopper. "I think it should be 16 at least to walk around by yourself at the mall."

The mall says this policy doesn't exclude kids from being in the mall without an escort entirely. Any of the anchor stores like Bergners or Pennys or even restaurants with entrances and exits to the outside are still available.

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UPDATE: CHERRY VALLEY, Ill. (WIFR) -- Cherry Valley Police say they spend a lot of time on Friday and Saturday nights at the mall because of incidents involving teenagers.

"I hope that the police calls go down on the weekends, free us up for other things going on in the village," says acting Sgt. Paul Seitz with Cherry Valley Police.

Cherryvale's new Youth Escort Policy hopes to make that possible for officers.

"As we took more and more input from our stores, from our shoppers, we thought this was the appropriate time to make this move," says CherryVale Mall General Manager Mark Peterson.

The mall calls unsupervised teens a "security challenge" and after two shooting incidents last year, they say it's time to make a change. Under the new policy on Fridays and Saturdays after 4 p.m., children under the age of 18 will not be allowed inside the mall without a parent or guardian 21 or older.

The mall says security guards will be at every entrance, stopping anyone who looks under the age of 18 and checking their ID.

"At first it's going to be a bumpy road for sure there will be kids that unfortunately are good kids that come to the mall, they shop, they have fun but you always have a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest," says Seitz.

Winnebago County Sheriff's deputies along with Cherry Valley police officers and mall security say they'll all work together to enforce the new policy.

That policy goes into effect Friday, March 17 at 4 p.m. Mall representatives say they'll have special badges printed for any teen who may work in the mall.

Authorities say if teens are caught inside the mall unsupervised, they'll be taken to the Cherry Valley Police substation at the mall and held there until their parents pick them up. If it keeps happening, police say the teen can be booked and banned from the mall for up to one year.

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CHERRY VALLEY, Ill. (WIFR) -- Children and teens under the age of 18 will no longer be allowed in the CherryVale Mall without a parent or guardian two nights a week.

The mall introduced its new youth escort policy Thursday morning.

Beginning Friday March 17, a parent or guardian 21 or older must accompany kids under the age of 18 on Friday and Saturday nights after 4:00 p.m.

The mall is working with Cherry Valley Police and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office to enforce the new rule.

Cherry Valley Police say they respond to more calls at the mall on Fridays and Saturdays, often times to deal with incidents involving teens. They're hoping the new policy will cut down on those calls.

"At first it's going to be a bumpy road for sure there will be kids that unfortunately are good kids that come to the mall, they shop, they have fun but you always have a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest," says acting Sgt. Paul Seitz with Cherry Valley Police.

The mall security guards will be at every mall entrance checking the IDs of anyone who looks to be younger than 18.