What is Stranger Danger?
Stranger danger is the overhead concept taught to many children that strangers are inherently dangerous and should not be approached or spoken with because of their potential for harm. This has been a common method used with the good intention of keeping children safe. The phrase “Don’t talk to strangers,” and the many instructions given to children to avoid strangers at all times has come under great criticism by numerous advocates who work to keep kids safe. Some of the key concepts of stranger danger are often repeated to kids. A few of these include telling children: • Don’t talk to strangers who approach you in public • Don’t believe strangers who offer rides or solicit help to look for things like “lost puppies.” • Don’t get into a car with a stranger reporting the illness of a parent. The list can go on extensively, and the main point is that children should perceive anyone not known as potentially harmful. The trouble is, studies on this issue show that it doesn’t always work,
Stranger danger is a phrase which describes the potential dangers in meeting a stranger online. In some situations people pretend to be somebody else when online – they take on a different persona. Adults can pretend to be children in many online places such as chat rooms or discussion groups. Because of this, it is important for children to realise they might be talking online to somebody different to whom they think.
