TV Reviews : Kids’ Safety Tips on ‘Stranger Danger’

Children and the elderly are society’s most vulnerable, and childhood in particular seems to be an increasingly dangerous proposition: guns in school, drugs, abuse--and kidnaping the subject of tonight’s Nick News special, “Stranger Danger,” hosted by reporter and kids’ advocate Linda Ellerbee.

With characteristic calm, Ellerbee stresses that the object of the show is not to frighten but to address children’s real fears, sparked by recent, tragic, headline-making cases. She is joined by a group of children, one of whom saved herself from becoming a victim by faking an asthma attack, and Ernie Allen, director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The fathers of kidnap/murder victims Polly Klaas and Sara Ann Wood speak on tape and scenarios are played on video to show children how to react to various approaches used by abductors.

Some of the situations are not so obvious. One ploy finds a kidnaper confronting a child alone in a store, pretending to be a security officer. Another pretends a child’s parent has been hurt.

Too much focus on the negative? Although the show stresses that it will never happen to most children, each year 4,600 are abducted by strangers. Allen notes that children tend to think of strangers as scary-looking people, while most abductors look like anybody else and often disarm children by learning their names and making friendly overtures.

Luckily, most of those taken do return home again, but even one loss is too many. The show’s premise is that kids have a right to knowledge that can help them stay safe. Communication is key; parents can help by using the show as a springboard for discussion.

* “Stranger Danger” airs at 8 tonight on Nickelodeon and repeats Sunday at 8 p.m.