Honestly, in my childhood opinion, it was fine, just trying out food and drinks (whether from shopping or restaurants), testing electronics and arcade games, maybe even buying some toys or going to indoor play areas.
Though the novelty of it soon worn out gradually, taking a walk and peek at around these areas for anything interesting is good once in a while, even if you're not buying anything.
Edit: on sec thoughts, should I place this in the urbanism community? And just so you know, I'm not an American, so I wouldn't know what butcherism might occur in the implementation of malls.
I actually really enjoyed it. You could go to a movie as a family and then generally just let us kids wander around with like 30 dollars to buy candy or time at the arcade for a couple of hours. The bad part about it was it's attachment to car infrastructure and disconnection from the rest of the city.