Police have denied imposing a blanket ban on under-16s in Barnsley town centre at night after the move was criticised by a civil rights group.
In a revised statement on its website, the South Yorkshire force said the town centre dispersal order would only be used to remove troublemakers.
It stated: "It will give police the discretionary power to take home young people under 16 who are involved in antisocial behaviour."
It comes after civil liberties campaigners accused the police and Barnsley Council, who jointly applied for the order, of unfairly targeting and criminalising young people.
Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said it would severely undermine respect for the law and that dispersal orders are a 'blunt, crude tool' that at best moves the problem to somewhere nearby.
The order, which came into effect last Friday, also gives officers the powers to disperse groups of two or more people from antisocial behaviour black spots, and target rowdy night-time revellers or football fans.
Barnsley Council has also released a statement saying there is no curfew operating in the town centre.
