Stranger danger! It’s one of the first concepts children learn from their parents. They’re taught not to talk to strangers and to remain within sight of their guardians or parents when out in public. However, what happens when children grow up in a very safe environment like the UAE? Would they be able to identify a dangerous situation or not? The Child Safety Department in Sharjah decided to put that to the test with a little social experiment.

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With the permission of guardians, an ice cream van set up shop and children were told they could get free ice cream if they stepped into the van

The ice cream man would tell the children that they could get a free cone or lolly if they came and took it from the van. He would sometimes even escort them!

 

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The results were shocking! 97% of the children willingly got into the van

1 out of 37 children passed the test and told the ice cream man he wouldn’t be comfortable stepping into the van. The organisers, The Child Safety Department and Sharjah Police interviewed that boy and asked him why we chose not to get on. He said it was dangerous as the man was a stranger to him and could potentially kidnap him. He’s a very bright young kid!

So, what’s the moral of the experiment? Although parents may be raising kids in a safe environment, they MUST teach their children about the dangers of interacting with strangers.

 

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