Sahara Lynn Barnes (right) and her mother Gloria Ross at a store in the King of Prussia mall outside of Philadelphia on February 7, 2026.
Photographer: Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg
Teens Sick of Their iPhones Are ‘Mallmaxxing’
The mall is cool again, with stores like Edikted and Princess Polly luring a new generation that is eager to shop in real life and show off hauls online.
Against all odds, the mall is winning over American teens: they’re getting their ears pierced; they’re buying jewelry; they’re trying on outfits that make their parents shudder; they’re even learning to stand in line and hang out IRL.
The last time malls were in, the iPhone didn’t exist and buying clothes without trying them on seemed absurd. Now, it’s the craving for a break from the iPhone that’s bringing teens back. An added treat: They get to indulge their nostalgia for mall queens like Alicia Silverstone’s Cher in Clueless and The Plastics in Mean Girls.