madas you cannot suggest that people shouldn't take action because the child might be older than they look. If your child looks that young she will encounter things throughout her childhood, will probably be refused entry into pubs because she does not look eighteen etc, or should they perhaps not ask for ID just in case?
Let's just imagine for a second that the op saw these boys and said nothing. Then let's imagine that a thread pops up on mn next week, next month, that one of them has been killed while crossing behind a rubbish truck on a busy road. Let's then imagine the insuing thread which would certainly consist of the question as to "why on earth anyone thought it was ok to let such young children walk to/from school alone." And let's then imagine that the op from thiis thread posts "I saw those children walking to school just last week. I thought it was a bit dangerous but I figured the parents knew what they were doing and besides it's really none of my business.." Now imagine the responses she would get. Do you think they would be all "oh no, of course it was none of your business, it wasn't your place to get involved"? or perhaps they would be along the lines of "you saw two vulnerable children walking to school along a busy road and you did nothing? And now one of them is dead. Feel good does it?" Take your pick as to which way you think that thread would run. I've been on mn long enough to know how it would go...
It's a lot easier to say "mind your own business" because none of us wants to think of ourselves being on the receiving end of such a report to ss. But ultimately it's all our job to look out for children and those who might be vulnerable.
When I posted about the situation I mentioned further up, where a woman was washing her child's mouth out with soap, I was told that it was none of my business, that "you don't know the circumstances, you shouldn't judge..." yet it's when we don't judge that vulnerable people come to harm... and my thinking was that if she was prepared to admit to washing her child's mouth out with soap, what else does she do that she wouldn't be prepared to admit to.
How many children are killed/injured because people feel it's none of their business. How many people do you think heard baby p crying and did nothing?
Now I'm not in the least comparing these children to baby p, but it's a fact that all too often people consider child welfare to be none of their business. And as a result children come to harm every day..