It was 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 30, when Mathilde, 12, crossed the gates of Bravo Murillo Park in Madrid with three friends to enjoy the start of the evening. "Since I have school tomorrow, I have to be home by 9:00 pm. On Friday or Saturday, I can stay out until 10:00 pm. We walk around, go to Burger King, talk... And in the summer, we can stay out longer since it gets dark later," explained the petite girl with long black hair and round glasses. Her friends nodded in agreement.

With the arrival of warmer days in Spain, crowds of kids on the verge of adolescence occupy the parks and streets of Madrid and its suburbs until late in the evening. With candy bags in their pockets, they hang around, squat on benches with their phones in hand, play "Brawl Stars" on their mobiles, or chat before heading to kebab shops or fast-food outlets.

Starting at 12, they wander with their pandilla, their group of friends, until 10:00 or 11:00 pm on weekends, or even later during the summer. When a fair comes to town, parents even allow them to stay out well past midnight. At 15, young people gather for a botellón, a tradition where they sit on the ground in a circle, passing around bottles of beer or Coca-Cola mixed with wine. They no longer have curfews, but they keep their phones handy to call mom or dad if they need a ride home late at night.

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