Youtube prankster Joey Salads has parents around the world on edge after he posted a social experiment video that shows just how easy it can be for strangers to abduct their children. (http://www.boredpanda.com/child-abduction-social-experiment-video-joey-salads/) By approaching children with a cute dog named Donuts, he was able to lure children away from the playground, hand-in-hand, by promising them more puppies to pet.

Before approaching each child, Salads approached their parents to explain the experiment and ensure that he had their permission to test their child’s reaction. Each of the parents featured in the video were certain that their child would shy away from Joey, running back to mom instead. They were wrong.

“Over 700 children are abducted a day. That’s over a quarter-million a year,” Salads explains. “Are your kids safe?”

While it is tragic when a child is abducted by a stranger, and one child is too many, it is rare in the United States. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Department of Justice, there are approximately 115 cases of stereotypical stranger abductions per year in the U.S.

While we do need to teach children not to go places with anyone they do or do not know, without asking their parents (or other caregiver), “stranger danger” is statistically far less likely to happen when compared to the vastly more pervasive public health issue of child sexual abuse by people the child knows and trusts. Either way we have to ensure our children are properly informed and learn to trust their instincts.

Sadly, in the United States, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by someone they know, love and trust by the age of 18.

To do the best job protecting your child, here is some advice:

Build your prevention team by educating all caregivers about your children’s body safety.

Pay careful attention to the people who spend time with your children.

Minimize the time your children spend alone with teenagers and other adults.

Understand grooming behaviors and speak up if you are concerned.

Educate your children about their bodies, nurture their intuition, let them know there are no topics off limits for discussion, and allow them to be the boss of their own body.

These are the practices that reduce the real risk to children!
(References: facebook.com/parentingsafechildren & boredpanda.com/child-abduction-social-experiment-video-joey-salads)