Child ‘Lost’ In Shopping Centre For Eight Hours Ignored By Thousands Of People

A ‘lost’ child, stood alone for eight hours in the middle of the bustling Queen Street Mall in Brisbane, Australia, was offered help by just 21 people out of thousands of passers-by. Two child actors, Samuel and Ava, took turns standing alone for 20 minute periods as shoppers milled around them, as part of a social experiment filmed by children’s services provider Key Assets Australia. One of the few people to approach Ava was a dad, who was out with his two children. When he was told about the experiment he said:

“I’ve had scary moments with these guys lost before, in this mall actually. It’s every parent’s nightmare.”





http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/child-lost-in-shopping-centre-social-experiment_uk_570cbe8ee4b0fa55639d9212

It's unbelievable that only 21 people stopped....so few seemed to even give the children a second glance....I find that really frightening.

So will people on here ask themselves what they would have done....going by this experiment the overwhelming odds are most people would just ignore.

I've never walked past a child that I think may be lost. I'm also the sort of person who stops if I think an elderly person looks lost, or troubled or worried etc

Most people are just like sheep; following the person in front and "not wanting to get involved"

That's like a very popular expression nowadays.

society gets hte people it deserves.....rather than the ones it wants....

In a way I can understand why men are reluctant to approach a lone child, (sadly that's a sign of the times) but so many women walked past oblivious to them.

I am like you eddie, I always ask/help if I see a child looking lost.

i find it odd that Huffington UK always has this stories out of Australia that are not reported here at all and their only link is to a facebook campaign from a unrecognosed unoffical organisation.

why is the huffington UK obsesed with Australia to the point it reports more about australia than the Australian media

I'd like to comment, but it seems like facebook trolls and the huffington Uk doing zero backround checks which is pretty normal for them

veya_victaous wrote:i find it odd that Huffington UK always has this stories out of Australia that are not reported here at all and their only link is to a facebook campaign from a unrecognosed unoffical organisation.

why is the huffington UK obsesed with Australia to the point it reports more about australia than the Australian media

I'd like to comment, but it seems like facebook trolls and the huffington Uk doing zero backround checks which is pretty normal for them

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/

exactly no mention of this story in aussie HUPO even

it knows who it sells too

veya_victaous wrote:exactly no mention of this story in aussie HUPO even

it knows who it sells too  

And that is all you have to say on the video

wow

Yes because we have no idea how long they were Really there, how many Actually came over, if it was obviously a setup. these videos are faked All the time particularly from unreputable sources

Literally the Original Source is a FACEBOOK group. that is seeking donations and funding to Be a 3rd party unneed accessory to foster care

Yeah so I am going to take anyone that tries to Profiteer of Foster kids with a more than 1 grain of salt.

veya_victaous wrote:Yes because we have no idea how long they were Really there, how many Actually came over, if it was obviously a setup. these videos are faked All the time particularly from unreputable sources  

Literally the Original Source is a FACEBOOK group. that is seeking donations and funding to Be a 3rd party unneed accessory to foster care

Yeah so I am going to take anyone that tries to Profiteer of Foster kids with a more than 1 grain of salt.

Its a social experiment.

I can understand some men being apprehensive, but not women.
This is not about Australia per say, it was just conducted there, showing you are objecting and using a poor defense because it was in Australia
Stop looking at this from that angle and look at this as a troubling concern

veya_victaous wrote:i find it odd that Huffington UK always has this stories out of Australia that are not reported here at all and their only link is to a facebook campaign from a unrecognosed unoffical organisation.

why is the huffington UK obsesed with Australia to the point it reports more about australia than the Australian media

I'd like to comment, but it seems like facebook trolls and the huffington Uk doing zero backround checks which is pretty normal for them

HUFFINGTON POST opened an office in Sydney late last year (upgrading from simply having a couple of part-time correspondents down here in Oz..).

MAYBE their Aussie journo's are more upfront and less circumspect than their Pommie counterparts ?
AND MAYBE the British editor is more likely to post stories slagging of Aussie, Kiwi or S.African nationals, while talking up their own country ?

(AND -- didn't the Huffington Post originate in the US ?)

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:i find it odd that Huffington UK always has this stories out of Australia that are not reported here at all and their only link is to a facebook campaign from a unrecognosed unoffical organisation.

why is the huffington UK obsesed with Australia to the point it reports more about australia than the Australian media

I'd like to comment, but it seems like facebook trolls and the huffington Uk doing zero backround checks which is pretty normal for them

HUFFINGTON POST opened an office in Sydney late last year (upgrading from simply having a couple of part-time correspondents down here in Oz..).

MAYBE their Aussie journo's are more upfront and less circumspect than their Pommie counterparts ?
AND MAYBE the British editor is more likely to post stories slagging of Aussie, Kiwi or S.African nationals, while talking up their own country ?

(AND -- didn't the Huffington Post originate in the US ?)

So another poster attacking the paper and ignoring the blatant problem, more obsessed over this being in Australia, than again thinking about why this is problematic the children were ignored by so many

That is called burying your head in the sand

didge wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:Yes because we have no idea how long they were Really there, how many Actually came over, if it was obviously a setup. these videos are faked All the time particularly from unreputable sources  

Literally the Original Source is a FACEBOOK group. that is seeking donations and funding to Be a 3rd party unneed accessory to foster care

Yeah so I am going to take anyone that tries to Profiteer of Foster kids with a more than 1 grain of salt.

Its a social experiment.

I can understand some men being apprehensive, but not women.
This is not about Australia per say, it was just conducted there, showing you are objecting and using a poor defense because it was in Australia
Stop looking at this from that angle and look at this as a troubling concern

TO BE FAIR, Didge, I took veya's complaint to be more about Huffington Post's approach to this story, rather than the experiment itself...

AND I AGREE with veya --  to the extent that not only the British edition of HP, but also the Guardian and Independant newspapers, are champions at slagging of Australia..

MUCH MORE SO than you will ever find Australian or American newspapers insulting you Brits.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

didge wrote:

Its a social experiment.

I can understand some men being apprehensive, but not women.
This is not about Australia per say, it was just conducted there, showing you are objecting and using a poor defense because it was in Australia
Stop looking at this from that angle and look at this as a troubling concern

TO BE FAIR, Didge, I took veya's complaint to be more about Huffington Post's approach to this story, rather than the experiment itself...

AND I AGREE with veya --  to the extent that not only the British edition of HP, but also the Guardian and Independant newspapers, are champions at slagging of Australia..

MUCH MORE SO than you will ever find Australian or American newspapers insulting you Brits.

That still is blatantly ignoring the problem Bee

I find it problematic if Aussie papers have not taken up the story do you not?

As is that not then hiding this under the carpet?

Again I am sure you would find similar situations elsewhere, but its only been done so far in Australia

I am sure Aussie papers happily slag off the Brits all the time as well, so lets be fair Bee, that is nothing new from all side

didge wrote:

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:



HUFFINGTON POST opened an office in Sydney late last year (upgrading from simply having a couple of part-time correspondents down here in Oz..).

MAYBE their Aussie journo's are more upfront and less circumspect than their Pommie counterparts ?
AND MAYBE the British editor is more likely to post stories slagging of Aussie, Kiwi or S.African nationals, while talking up their own country ?

(AND -- didn't the Huffington Post originate in the US ?)

So another poster attacking the paper and ignoring the blatant problem, more obsessed over this being in Australia, than again thinking about why this is problematic the children were ignored by so many

That is called burying your head in the sand

NOBODY'S "burying their head(s) in the sand.." on here, mr. Doddery.

IT'S STILL early days yet in this discussion..

STAY tuned...

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

didge wrote:

So another poster attacking the paper and ignoring the blatant problem, more obsessed over this being in Australia, than again thinking about why this is problematic the children were ignored by so many

That is called burying your head in the sand

NOBODY'S "burying their head(s) in the sand.." on here, mr. Doddery.

IT'S STILL early days yet in this discussion..

STAY tuned...

Well all you and Veya have done is speak anything but about the actual problem of people ignoring the children

What else would you call that but trying to push the problem under the carpet?


Anyway am off to work, so see you later

eddie wrote:I've never walked past a child that I think may be lost. I'm also the sort of person who stops if I think an elderly person looks lost, or troubled or worried etc

Most people are just like sheep; following the person in front and "not wanting to get involved"

That's like a very popular expression nowadays.

THIS IS one of those universal problems, worldwide, of so many people ignoring people, whether they be seemingly lost children, apparent drunks laying in the gutter, people being bullied or attacked, disabled having problems, old people who fall over...

THERE ARE far too many people out there "too scared/don't want to/can't be bothered to get involved !" whenever anything goes bellyup..   I've noticed this enough times even with something as simple as asking for directions.   And I've always found that this non-involvement/disassociation/avoidance style of ignorance increases as you move into larger cities; and decreases as you move out through the suburbs and regional areas, nearly disappearing as you get into some rural areas..


I'D like to know how long that experiment lasted, and how many passers'by actually checked the child instead of ignoring her all together ?

I HAVE seen people stop to help, lift a small child up (so that he/she might see their parents, or their parents see them..), or take a child, or a disabled or disoriented person, to the information desk or centre office, or call for help -- so I know that there are caring people out there..
AND often it can be just as likely men as women, young as old; although certain ethnicities and socio-economic groups are more likely to ignore other people around them - maybe because of where they came from, how they were raised, or their own 'life experiences',  who knows ?


IT ALSO PAYS to look at who runs these kinds of studies -- is it being run by a qualified uni', gov't department, recognised charity, using the proper empirical systems and statistical analysis -- or, is it more of a haphazard and muddle-headed exercise chiefly intended to raise awareness of a "new kid on the block" group trying to gain a bit of attention and/or advertising ?

AND TO recognise just how disconnected from events and society around them some people can become --  there's an American show called something like 'What Would You Do?'  that sometimes appears on late night/early morning TV down here, that looks at how unsuspecting passing strangers will react to various staged scenarios - some like these diecussed here, some are criminal activities, some are ethical/moral dilemmas, some seem like domestic tiffs..

AND YOU CAN see just how many people will simply pass a situation by -- not wanting to "get involved" -- even if it's a lost child, an injured or disoriented person, or even a "matter of life or death".

Nowadays with the genuine concern, hysteria of paedoz people are scared to approach a child.
Having said that some could have drawn the little mites plight to someone else and then approached.

Where and what were the parents doing for 8 hours????

Stormee wrote:Nowadays with the genuine concern, hysteria of paedoz people are scared to approach a child.
Having said that some could have drawn the little mites plight to someone else and then approached.

Where and what were the parents doing for 8 hours????

I think that's true Stormee. Even women might be a bit reluctant to approach a child these days. There might have been some people lurking just watching to see if the parents turned up or something - I've done that before.

I once saw a child standing in the street crying her eyes out, and nobody stopped to ask if she was OK. I did, and we went and found her mother, but I was a bit concerned that I might be accused of "interfering". Another time, there was a guy lying on the floor on a train, and people were literally just stepping over him to get off the train at the end of the line.