Child abduction is no joking matter, but a recent viral video prank using a humorous jab might just wake up parents to how easily kids can be taken away by strangers — even if that parents think they’ve properly instilled a fear of strangers in their offspring.
In the video, YouTuber JoeySalads approaches several women who are seated on a bench while their child plays at a local city park. As he explains the child abduction prank video to each of the mothers, they insist that their children will not even speak to him, but each one is shocked to see that not only do their children talk to Joey, most of them are willing to walk away with him at the end of the conversation to see more of the adorable puppies that he promises to take them to.
As the camera cuts back each time, a horrified mother is seen having the realization that no amount of warning has made their children immune to a child abduction, even if this one happens to be in the form of a prank video. One mother holds her son, who was lured away by Joey, and attempts to explain the severity of the situation to him.
“Just because this guy had a dog doesn’t mean you go home with him. Because you don’t know him… You know what could happen? They could take you and you wouldn’t be with Mommy anymore.”
While this child abduction prank video may be alarming to some parents, it’s worth re-assessing the way that you explain “stranger danger” to your kids. Parents magazine reports that nearly 750,000 children are reported missing every year. Though most of the children in these cases are located within a few hours, many victims of child abductions are not so lucky. Around 20 percent of non-family child abduction victims are found deceased.
[Image via YouTube]
