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Kids have a new chaperone this Halloween: the government.
Towns around the tristate — including Long Branch, New Jersey, and Warwick, New York — are implementing strict curfews for minors, telling them when they’re allowed to be out enjoying themselves on the spooky holiday.
And some localities are giving kids only until 7 p.m. to fill their trick-or-treat baskets.
The ordinances are textbook examples of the “nanny state” in action. And they’re absolutely ridiculous. In the year 2026, when the biggest challenge facing parents is getting their kids off screens and out into the real world with friends, a prohibition on Halloween fun is the worst policy imaginable.
Do teens get into trouble on Halloween? Sure. But should every kid be punished preemptively and locked down in their houses by the state? Absolutely not.
The town of Long Branch, New Jersey, announced on October 16 that kids under 17 looking to trick-or-treat need to abide by an 8 p.m. curfew. In Warwick, New York, kids need to be home by 9, unless accompanied by a guardian, starting on October 30th and effective through November 1st.
Winslow Township, New Jersey, even went as far as to “hereby declare” that trick-or-treat hours will run between noon and 5 p.m., and also announced that kids under 18 need to respect a 8 p.m. curfew “due to concerns about seasonal mischief.”
The town supervisor of Newburgh, New York, wrote a letter calling for a 9 p.m. curfew out of concern for “the safety and welfare of our children along with the protection of private property.”
And in South Plainfield, New Jersey, a curfew has been written into law, making it “unlawful for juveniles to be in any public place” effective at 7 p.m. on October 30 and 31. Families who fail to keep their kids inside could face a fine of up to $1,000, plus possible community service to be performed by both the juvenile and parent if found guilty of a violation.
For from keeping kids safe, these lawmakers are teaching them a pair of terrible lessons: that the world is a scary and dangerous place, and that they can’t be trusted to make their own decisions.
Police should be making sure that everyone is safe on Halloween, and, if kids are misbehaving, they absolutely should step in and reprimand them. But it should be up to parents to decide what time is appropriate to have their kids inside.
They’re already pretty cautious anyway. Only 15% of parents of kids aged 9 to 11 allow them to trick-or-treat independently with friends, per a 2023 University of Michigan poll which also found that only 17% of those same parents thought their neighborhood was unsafe for unaccompanied children.
“Trick-or-treating is something kids did safely on their own for decades,” says Lenore Skenazy, whose non-profit Let Grow promotes childhood independence. “But society is morphing this delightful childhood tradition into ‘dangerous encounters with strangers.’ “
It’s hard to imagine something more dystopian than making it illegal — and in some instances punishable by fines and community service — for a teenager to enjoy a public space at 7:30 p.m., especially considering that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year!
We live in a time when kids are struggling to make real connections and are preferring to socialize online. Halloween landing on a weekend is the perfect opportunity for them to get out, get some fresh air, and spend time with one another.
But the crackdown on childhood fun this Halloween is part of a larger story of society pushing kids inside ostensibly to “protect” them — and accidentally undermining their development of the skills they will need to be independent, confident adults.
Parents aren’t letting their kids go to the corner store anymore, or walk to school on their own. Kids are partying less, having fewer relationships, and getting driver’s licenses at later and later ages. All this has taught Gen Z to fear the world and turn in on themselves.
Now society is reaping the consequences, as those over-protected kids are growing up to become anxious, developmentally stunted adults who are too afraid to make a phone call to a stranger or show up to a job interview without their parent.
The last thing Gen Z and Gen Alpha need is for the government to double down on this trend and lock them inside precisely when they should be out having fun.