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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Children going off with strangers

76 replies

PrincessFlirtyPants · 04/09/2013 12:37

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2410930/Chilling-experiment-shows-children-happy-walk-stranger-park--took-just-90-seconds-persuade-them.html

AIBU to be quite scared at the idea it would be this easy?! One girl was 11... Sad

OP posts:
CocacolaMum · 04/09/2013 12:40

its the daily mail, now breathe.

All you can do is make sure YOUR child knows whats what - that bit is your responsibility. The rest is not. why worry about it? However, if this can be used to bring back the Charlie says adverts of my youth then this can only be a good thing

my dc have been shown those ads on youtube :)

Jengnr · 04/09/2013 12:44

Oh good. Scaremongering.

ChocHobNob · 04/09/2013 12:44

The daily mail have reported on it from a Daybreak ITV section. I watched it this morning and it made me think. It was worrying how easy it was for the stranger to manipulate the children to go with him. I will be speaking to my kids about it more because it was apparent from the exercise that children just being made aware of "stranger danger" isn't enough.

KissMeHardy · 04/09/2013 12:45

It was REPORTED in the DM but it was SET UP by the charity Kidscape and Daybreak TV. It wasn't made up by the Daily Mail Coca

Are you saying the DM should never report anything worthwhile?

nokidshere · 04/09/2013 12:46

It might be the DM but sadly it is true. DH has run similar things in local schools and, even half an hour after being given a talk on what a bad choice it is to go off with somebody, the majority of the children do.

All you can do is keep giving your children the message that they never go anywhere with anyone (including people they know) unless they have seen you say yes first.

What are the Charlie ads?

ChocHobNob · 04/09/2013 12:48

Are people actually watching the video and not just seeing Daily Mail in the link and getting their backs up?

How is it scaremongering?

I thought it was just highlighting the importance of making your children aware. It ranged from small 5 year olds who had recently learned about stranger danger to more mature 11 year olds, forgetting the risks when asked to help a seemingly friendly stranger find their dog.

CocacolaMum · 04/09/2013 12:49

Are you saying that educating our kids in stranger danger is not something which might occur to most parents without the use of this sort of scaremongering which the DM does so well?

I do think that an 11yr old who would go off with someone is the exception and not the rule and she quickly changed her mind and went back into the park anyway!?

KissMeHardy · 04/09/2013 12:50

It doesn't matter how relevant or important an article, if it is reported in the Daily Mail then it will get slated on Mumsnet !!

Original poster
PrincessFlirtyPants · 04/09/2013 12:51

Jengnr I dont think its scaremongering, I think it's highlighting an issue. It was organised by Kidscape and Daybreak not DM, as a PP has said.

OP posts:
Original poster
PrincessFlirtyPants · 04/09/2013 12:52

Oh goodness, I should have included an ALERT ALERT this is being printed in the Daily Mail in my OP.

OP posts:
ChocHobNob · 04/09/2013 12:52

It isn't set up by the Daily Mail, they are just one newspaper reporting the story which the OP chose to link to.

I have educated my children on stranger danger, so had the parents in the exercise. It was highlighting how that isn't always enough. You need to keep reminding them of this. Not all parents do that. I haven't reminded my children for a while. I will now make sure I speak to them more in depth and keep teaching them it as they get older.

TanteRose · 04/09/2013 12:53
pigletmania · 04/09/2013 12:54

Yes I can imagine this s true, April Jones a recent well known victim. I was in the park a year ago with my two Chidren, who were 5 and 6 months, 2 6 year old girls were there. Tey approached me and started talking to me, telling me vital information about themselves (name, age, school, home location). I asked them who they were with, and in the far distance pointed to a boy and one girl said was her 10 year old brother. He was playing football with a friend and were totally oblivious to who these girls were talking to. Imagine they were chatting to someon with bad intentions!

pigletmania · 04/09/2013 12:56

Especially with young children, they do not necessarily have the maturity or skill to deal with a stranger. Some do but not all!

CocacolaMum · 04/09/2013 12:56

April Jones didn't go off with a stranger though did she. He was very much known to the family..

nokidshere · 04/09/2013 12:57

TanteRose thanks - I do vaguely remember them now I have seen it again :)

nokidshere · 04/09/2013 12:58

April Jones didn't go off with a stranger though did she. He was very much known to the family..

That's exactly why I have never taught my children "stranger danger". They are not to go anywhere with anyone without my say so regardless of whether they know them or not!

pigletmania · 04/09/2013 12:58

I know but he was not her parents

ChocHobNob · 04/09/2013 12:59

Coca - and that is why this kind of exposure is important isn't it? Like a PP said, it is important to teach children not to go with anyone, even someone they know, without checking with their parent (or whoever is caring for them at the time).

pigletmania · 04/09/2013 12:59

Exactly Noki Aprils parents I am sure would not give her permission to go with anyone stranger or not!

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 04/09/2013 13:00

Terribly scary Sad I must remind my children. I have also taught DD what a "uniform" constitutes after she saw a woman on our front lawn in a hi vis jacket....I said "What is that woman doing on our lawn?" and DD aged 5 said "She must be the police...look at her uniform" Shock DD actually thought a fluorescent vest constituted authority!

I would like to remind all mumsnetters to tell their DC how to know a real policeman or woman from a randomer in something "important looking"

HairyGrotter · 04/09/2013 13:00

It IS worrying, the best we can all do is teach our own kids awareness in a 'non-damaging' way, mind you, you'd be damned to get my DD to do anything without a fuss being kicked up!

LaGuardia · 04/09/2013 13:03

Abducted children are not wrestled from the arms of loving, caring parents. They are generally running wild around the neighbourhood, or being neglected.

IneedAsockamnesty · 04/09/2013 13:05

I was always quite worried about stuff like this and went down the don't go off with anybody route with my kids but I still didn't think my kids got it until the day I had to go to school to remove one of my children from the play ground after lunch break because the dinner lady couldn't convince him to come inside.

He has ASD and had a gentlemans agreement with the head to go outside at play time he normally went back inside with the head but he was at a course.

One of my others refused to leave the park with his grandmother perhaps I shouldn't have been quite so strong on the blanket rule.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 04/09/2013 13:06

I had to tell mine that they must not go with ANYONE if Mummy or Daddy hadn't said so to their faces....and I included grandparents and aunts and everyone to keep it simple for them. I figured that in the event of a real emergency we'd deal with as best we could it because that's so rarely an issue it was worth the risk!