A recent social experiment conducted in Sharjah has revealed alarming findings: over 97 percent of children are willing to enter a stranger’s van for a free ice cream. This discovery has highlighted the urgent need for enhanced safety education for children.
Hanadi Al Yafei, Director of Sharjah’s Child Safety Department (CSD), expressed surprise at the results. “While we anticipated that living in a safe society might influence the results, we were still astounded that 97.3 percent of children accepted a gift from a stranger and agreed to enter their vehicle,” Al Yafei told Khaleej Times. “Even though the UAE is regarded as one of the safest countries in the world, it is important to always take care and teach our children to be vigilant.”
The experiment, conducted last week at a Sharjah park, saw only one out of 37 children hesitate to accept a free ice cream from a stranger. The remaining 36 children readily accepted the offer. Al Yafei emphasized that the experiment serves as an “eye-opener” for parents and guardians to ensure children understand how to navigate situations involving strangers safely.
Supporting these findings, Samina Khanyari, General Manager of Jumeirah International Nurseries, Early Childhood Centres (ECC), noted that young children are inherently trusting and often struggle to distinguish between safe and unsafe strangers due to their developing cognitive abilities. “In the UAE, where community interactions are frequent and close-knit, children often feel secure in public settings, leading to a false sense of security,” Khanyari added.
Al Yafei underscored the importance of ‘stranger danger’ education, stating, “The results demonstrate the need for parents and educators to take proactive measures to protect children and equip them with the necessary skills to identify and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Parents and educators must prioritize teaching children about the importance of seeking permission and informing them about their activities and whereabouts.”
The goal of the study was to raise awareness about the necessity of instilling safety knowledge and good habits in children from a young age, especially when traveling outside the UAE.
Zoltan Rendes, a single father and partner at UAE-based company SunMoney Solar, emphasized the importance of teaching his 12-year-old son about danger. “We have addressed safety topics, including stranger danger, from a very early age so Oliver understands that his safety often depends on his actions,” Rendes said. “Having spent a decade in war zones and crisis territories, I have a very advanced skillset in safety and emergencies, which makes me somewhat overprotective as a father, but I strive to maintain healthy limits.”
Khanyari also provided practical advice for teaching children about stranger danger. “Parents and educators must use a combination of engaging activities and consistent reinforcement of simple rules to teach children about safety,” she suggested. Role-playing scenarios, storytelling sessions, and age-appropriate books are effective tools for reinforcing the concept. Visual aids like posters and videos, as well as regular discussions about not accepting gifts or rides from strangers, can help children understand and remember safety rules.
By adopting these practices, parents and educators can help ensure children are better equipped to navigate potentially dangerous situations safely.
