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Explore each episode:
Episode 1: Stranger Danger
Episode 2: Driving & Texting
Episode 3: Cheating
Episode 4: Discrimination
Original Series: Bullying
Episode 1: 'Stranger Danger' (Sunday, April 15th, at 7pm/6c)
While stranger abductions are rare, all parents worry about keeping kids safe. In this special report, parents and experts watch as the following scenarios unfold, testing whether or not children know what to do when approached by a stranger.
- We test elementary school kids, including Natalie Morales’ own son, as they are invited for a private tour of an ice cream truck - will they remember what their parents have taught them about never getting into a vehicle with a stranger?
- And giving out personal information in the digital age can be dangerous—will some young teens tell a stranger their names and addresses, even though they’ve been warned not to? Anxious parents will be watching, and our experts will be standing by to offer advice about what to tell kids.
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I Really Hope and Pray Everyone Watches this just the preview made me Cry:) It comes on tonite at 7PM Please everyone of us we have to be diligent with our Babies and teach them constantly about This Stranger Danger comes in all shapes and sizes.
To be honest, I think this show has potential to do way more harm than good. I'm watching the episode where kids are being offered free ice cream to lure them to a truck. Broadcasting the ease of luring kids not only will give predators ideas of how to lure kids, it will also assure them that it is quite easy to do.
Now, is it really helping parents, most of whom already have warned their kids many times about this danger? So far, I haven't seen any advice I'd feel confident would truly get through to children.
So, who is being most changed by this program? The thought of predators watching this show makes me shudder.
I'm wondering if ratings is the true motivation for airing this program.
I agree with others. More thought needs to be put into a show like this before actually teaching a predator 101 class that only benefits the predators not the kids or parents.
This show is so bad of an idea to put on tv. No one even thought to take the ice cream away from the kids and tell them never to eat anything a total stranger gives them.
I could say I am never going to watch a show like this again......... but I'm not the problem. The predators (so many of them) are going to watch these shows and learn from them.
So PLEASE NBC DATELINE stop these kind of shows that actually teach criminals how to succeed.
You are so right on Phantom-3687711!
If you actually watched the episode you would know that they are using situations that predators have already used. I have a friend who was kidnapped as a teenager by a man using the excuse that her family's dog was hit by a car and he gave the exact description of the dog. Recently that friend's daughter and my son were lured into her neighbor's van, despite the fact that we have drilled stranger danger into their heads. Needless to say, my son is watching this episode right now. Kids are entirely too trusting and I'm grateful for this show for showing my son that I'm not making all the dangers in this world up and that they really do exist. He has a much better understanding of stranger danger now, so THANK YOU DATELINE NBC....I feel that my family will greatly benefit from this!
In my opinion, if you want a real test, try using a woman as the "ice cream vendor". I will bet that there will be no child that will hesitate in any of the tests that you set forth.Woman can be dangerous also.
Exactly, sometimes the woman is used as the bait because women are seen as non-threatening. It's a sexist remark, but it's true. Stranger Danger comes as female and male.
I am 50+ and I am pretty sure that I would even climb into the ice-cream truck ....
What a great idea. Broadcast your child making a poor choice on national television. Can't wait until they go to school and face all their peers. I think this is more about ratings than stranger danger.
While I appreciate the aim to help keep parents aware and in the process become better parents, I don't believe the test was all that helpful. An actual ice cream truck lends legitimacy to the stranger. If its a guy giving out ice cream from the back of his ratty van then I'm guessing the kids would have reacted differently. And how many kidnappers have an actual ice cream truck? I'm sure they meant well but all I saw was some kids who wanted some ice cream from a vehicle that is designed to break down the barriers and inspire trust. You might as well tempt NFL fans with sideline passes and see who they'll bump off for the passes.
That was the whole point, Tim. To show how the children would respond when presented with a situation that seems benign, an actual ice cream truck. Children will actually believe that he IS an actual ice cream man. Also, the ice cream truck is symbolic of situations that could be substituted to assess how the children would act in a situation that is not overtly threatening. This guy was extremely friendly and he was closer in age to them. Unfortunately, predators have been typecast as the "dirty old man" when he could be the graduate student down the street.
I watched the show about children talking to strangers and even though it was a good show, they failed to mention that the children should not have taken the free ice cream from the stranger. It could have been laced with something to knock them out.
This program truly bothered me as a member of the human race. Have we all become so unable to make common sense decisions because of what we are fed by the media that we are willing to pass mass phobia onto our children and grandchildren? This report was an event of sensationam. The media seems to care more about ratings than presenting an unbiased, fair and honest, realistic point-of-view. There were no statistics presented, no data either positive or negative, no line between stranger and "simply another human being". Does this presentation mean that as a retired educator, I should not speak to children in super markets, parks, during travel, anywhere because I represent danger! Please rethink your responsibilities as a reporting agency that impacts tens of thousands of viewers. No wonder fear is predominate in our world - you informed us it is so.
Children that age are too young to be left alone, they should always have some type of parental supervision. They don't know any better, no matter how much you preach to them.
Connie, you have a very valid point. We are all responding to the children's reaction, when we should have been responding to the fact that the adult SHOULD NOT HAVE LEFT THEM ALONE in the first place. My nieces and nephews get quite irritated with me when I make them come into the store with me. They are not allowed to sit in the car and wait. If I have forgotten something and have to go back, guess what? , they go back with me. Once in Walmart, I watched a woman with three children pull a grocery cart up to the bathroom. There was a girl (18 months) in the buggy, a 4-5 year old boy behind the cart. She took a three year old girl (all ages are approximated) into the bathroom and left the other two standing outside. She was in the bathroom for 5 minutes. I had made my purchases and was leaving, but I stood there and watched the children. When the woman returned, I told her that someone could have taken the baby and there was nothing the 5 year old could do or taken both of them. She looked at me all teary eyed and said, "I'm sorry." I told her she didn't need to apologize to me she needed to apologize to those children and to never do that again. Also, there was a 12 x 14 sign posted in front of the bathroom that said, "family restrooms in back of store." Because of her laziness, she put those children in a volatile situation. If you can't do what you need to do with three children in tow, then you need to readjust. Whenever I had my niece with me and I had to use the restroom, I took them not only in to the bathroom with me, they also had to stand in the stall. They have family restrooms in most stores now.
Isn't it better to be aware, rather than to put our heads in the proverbial sand and ignore the fact that there are nasty people out there who harm kids.
I for one applaud NBC on getting to grips with this subject, it is never easy and there is no right way or wrong way to teach our kids. The fact is, child abductions do happen and however rare (thank goodness) I will do anything it takes to make sure that my child and my child's friends are talking about it and aware of it.
Children are trusting, kind and forgiving little humans who can be manipulated by adults. That is not to say that we should live in fear, but we shouldn't be so naive that we don't arm our children with the skills to realize that strangers are still strangers, well meaning or otherwise.
If you think that shows like this are a blue print for teaching criminals how to succeed, I think you underestimate the rather twisted criminal mind.
Would you not rather be cleverer still and deal with this issue and install the confidence in your child by talking about it and teaching them that to say no and not to follow the group is actually okay?
We all only have the interests of our children at heart, so the long may the debate continue on how best to tackle this.
At least it is highlighted, and by being aware perhaps we are doing a better job with our kids than we think. Long may each and every one of them be safe and well from this vile and odious criminal.
My kid did do that. And 25 years later my family is still dealing with the consequences of one bad decision. I never told my daughter the "bad guy" is not always a stranger. It could be someone you know, your family knows, someone who has been in your house even.What do I tell parents "stop telling your children to quiet down" all the time, take them outside and teach them how to yell, scream, and get attention that something very bad is happening in our own backyard.
I thought it was very inappropriate for Natalie Morales to use her own child in the segment. Her reaction came off as hysterical and a little over the top. What was she crying so much about? her son showed the most sense and caution out of the group. There she is carrying on like she has the worst child in the world making the poor kid feel bad. If Morales is incapable of showing any emotional restrait and professionalism she shouldn't use her own child. Her exaggerated emotional response came off as just a ploy for boosting ratings.
I am a little ashamed at what you are saying NY Star. Yes, it matters that her son did show the most sense and caution out of all the boys but he still got in that truck and he stayed in there for a time long enough for the kidnapper to close the door and drive off. Morales, by the way is a mother, not only a journalist, but a mother. Being a mother is a job a woman never wants to fail or quit at and to just imagine that if this really had happened, they would just cry.
NY Star, I think you are incorrect and you sound a bit insensitive. The producers probably chose to show her crying so that the viewers could see that she was a mother too. Her son showed sense AFTER leaving the inside of the truck. She was distraught because he actually got onto the truck and she thought of the possibility of what could happen had this been a real life event and not a show. All of the boys were in that truck long enough for that man to have driven off were this not a show. I don't even have any children and I was sitting on my sofa in tears because I was thinking of what could have happened to those boys. She actually attempted to go for the lighthearted side, but reality kicked in and she couldn't stop the tears.
This was so scary to watch. To think that we are so powerless to protect our children from predators is sickening. We watched this with our kids tonight. I feel like they are better prepared for certain situations.
Where/how do you purchase a copy of the series by Natalie Morales, specifically "Stranger Danger?
Thanks
Talking to your child is not enough. Here are three step to teach children to keep out of dangerous situations. This also applies to keeping out of cars with an impaired driver. Step 1: Explain/Discuss. Step 2: Demonstrate. Step 3: Practice.
Step 1: Explain/Discuss. Explain the dangers. Discuss what to do. Tell your child exactly what to do and say.
Step 2: Demonstrate. Pretend that the situation is happening to you and respond exactly how you want your child to respond. Have your child be the stranger/perpetrator and try to convince you to do something you aren't supposed to do. Get them to really try and convince you to act inappropriately. You demonstrate the appropriate responses.
Step 3: Practice. Pretend that you are the stranger/perpetrator so that your child can practice the correct responses. Do this until your child's responses become automatic. Practice with one of your child's friends as the stranger/perpetrator. Practice with an older child as the stranger/perpetrator. Practice with one of your adult friends as the perpetrator. Repeat the practice again in the near future. Keep repeating at least yearly (more if your child needs it) until your child either leaves home or turns 40.
TIP 1: Get together with your child's friends and their parents and do the above steps as a group. Practice with the children together in a group.
TIPS: Physically, a child should walk away from anyone trying to lure your child into a potentially dangerous situation. If the situation doesn't allow your child to walk away, they should then immediately call you on the phone. The longer a child talks to a stranger/perpetrator, the more likely the child will give in. The child's language should be a few polite, disengaging words that are repeated over and over, such as "no thanks" or "sorry, I am leaving now." These words should be spoken as the child walks away. Never use language that explains the reasons for your child leaving, such as "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers" because it invites a response such as "I'm not really a stranger" or "why does your mother say that?" that will lead to a dialog that will eventually cause your child to give in. Children cannot win a debate in these situations, so they need no stay disengaged verbally while they physically leave the situation.
NBC, I wish you would consider doing this series again with a female predator. I wonder if even the children who didn't respond to the man would have trusted a woman.
I would be as concerned with the kids eating the ice cream as it may contain drugs that may impair there judgment or even render them unconscious, making it easy for someone to snatch the kids.
Right D.,
That was my concern also. This program was not thoroughly thought out. it was like the children were rewarded with the ice cream. Most of them were quite pleased with their free ice cream. The producers missed the mark.
It seems to me that some very solid points were made in tonights show, however as many parents know- stranger/danger is not all that common. What is more common is a child being hurt, taken or molested by an adult the child knows. One can barely get through the news on a weekly basis without reading about a priest, teacher, coach, babysitter, neighbor,family member etc .that has caused serious damage to a child or adolescent. I for one would like to see programs like dateline focus on how to protect children from adults they know. We as a society continue to want to view "strangers" as the adults our children need to be protected from and until we change that and accept that more harm is done by adults we and they know it will continue. How many Penn States will it take for society, parents and adults to realize the ugly truth. We need to stop focusing on STRANGERS and help our children understand that people they know and come into contact with on a regular basis can hurt them too! As a mental health professional working with children, adolescents and adults this is an all too common theme to therapy. The outcome is worse when it is someone the child knows - the betrayal terribly difficult to get past. Again - I ask where should we truly be placing the focus?
You are so right. There is a young lady missing in South Carolina right now because someone her mother dated. Monsters are not always a stranger. Most time it's someone who is trusted by the family. My sister had a code word that she embedded in her daughter from the time she could understand concepts. If someone showed up at the school or wherever she was and said that her mom sent them to pick up my nice and that person was not one of her aunts or her grandmother, then that person needed to give the code in order to leave with her and that included her father because my sister was the custodial parent.
My husband, my 11 year old son and myself caught this airing of Stranger Danger. It's highly questionable that those children actually learned from that experience. The only thing this showed was the anxiety of how their parents felt. Do you really think any of those children learned anything? They stilled got ice cream, they got hugs from their parents and probably heard the same words that they heard before this staged event. That sounds like a reward to me.
What would have happened if the door closed on the truck?! He didn't have to drive away, but we all know that "blood running cold" moment, when you get the big "Oh-Oh"! "What have I done?" Even with the 3 friends at the end, they were back peddling as fast as they could when questioned. The host asked her son what he would do differently, he said I would hit him. She just smiles and says then what would you do next? Really? So getting close enough to a stranger to hit him, so he can grab you is OK and worth a smile and approval. Yikes!
I appreciate the effort Dateline tried to do. It did open up discussion in our home once again about this with our son. But in overall, really missed the mark, by not going far enough. And if you say, oh we can't close the truck door, could really frighten them. I would rather have my son be scared for a quick moment by Dateline then have to go through what Adam Walsh and his family went through. Keeping our children safe is every parent's concern. We as parents must try the best we can do in all things for our children. Telling our little ones how much we love them, to educate them on safety and steer them in the right direction is every parent's job.
OC Mom Too . . . Your post beat mine by about 14 minutes, since I was in the process of writing and verifying my account and email. But it sounds as though we are on the same mindset! Yes, I would MUCH rather have my child terrified for a few minutes under controlled circumstances, being fully supervised, than to have to face the pain of losing a child. Sometimes the "Scared Straight" approach REALLY works, especially with young children. They have longer memories than we sometimes give them credit for. A pleasant experience, and ice cream treat, and a hug and small lecture from mom and dad just doesn't cut it. As we know, you can tell a child a million times not to touch the hot stove or they'll burn themselves, but inevitably, they end up doing it and have to learn on their own! I just wish more of the parents posting on here had seen what you and I had.
I can't believe you guys go to all this trouble to put on a wonderfully educational experiment--and then stop just short of where it could have Really been effective. Consider this: Once the kids were inside the truck, why couldn't the guy have just calmly shut the door==and let the reality of being 'trapped' hang there for about five seconds--or until one of the kids burst into tears? This would have been far more effective in portraying the true potential danger of this scenario. By allowing the kids to simply exit the vehicle after their free tour almosts defeats the purpose of the whole experiment. By introducing a brief moment of real fear into these tests is not going to traumatize any of the kids to the point of needing therapy. If anything, it will drive home a memorable fear of trusting a seemingly harmless stranger. One that will stick with the children for years to come as they look back on the reality of what could have been, and the possibility of never seeing Mommy and Daddy again. The idea behind teaching 'Stranger Danger' is to teach them how scary it is to be locked up with a stranger with no escape in sight. My own 7-year-old--after watching the first group of kids exit the truck, said: "at least they got free ice cream..." Even the kids that were tested are liable to remember the experience as a pleasant one and be less likely to make the 'Danger' connection in the future. Dateline came close, but next time--they need to follow through just a little bit more.
This show is one sided, which I find that most shows like this are one sided. They only show one perspective. In order to have a well-rounded show, you also should have had a female portray the ice cream vendor in order to see if the children would be more receptive if a strange woman were to approach them. Women can be predators too. I agree with some of the previous posts, NO ONE addressed the fact that the children were EATING the ice cream from the stranger. Though, the host of the show did take the ice cream from the boys. Predators can also use other things as enticements. The ice cream was so easy because of how the children's parents react when the children say, "Ice Cream Man." It was like Pavlov's Dog. When asked why, the one little boy said, "free ice cream." My nieces and nephews would not have responded that way because they didn't even know what the ice cream man was until they were about 7 or 8 years old and by that time they had already been trained that "ice cream comes from the grocery store" not a truck with music. "Why spend a $1.75 and have one Popsicle or ice cream sandwich when you could have a whole box for that price?" The show should have had more than just a one hour episode to address the opposite side of the coin. How the children would act if there was a woman taking pictures, giving away free ice cream, free jewelry, free toys, allowing them to see the inside of a fancy truck, car, etc. This deserves a do over. Kristi 6711803 is correct. You all stopped short of the finish line.