Yeah, that whole media created satanic panic about 20 years ago, and the resultant realization that most of the kids had been coorced into making false statements by leading questions is what keeps me away from all unattended children. Kids are stupid, will say anything they think an adult wants to hear, and can easily be manipulated into making up some seriously scary bullshit. Damn if I'm going to put my own freedom at risk, should something terrible happen while I'm trying to help, to assist a kid whose own parents can't be bothered to keep an eye out. Granted, I'd tell the parents or other authorities if I see some kid in a dangerous situation, but the harsh reality is that I don't trust kids or parents.
I was walking down a path next to a bunch of camp sites in a park with my boyfriend. Out of no where something runs into me from behind, and I turn around to see what the deal is. Some 6 or 7 year old kid has ridden his bike right into me, bounced off and fallen on the pavement. Now he's all tangled up in his bike and we're just asking where his campsite is, and if he's alright. His parents, hearing his increasingly shrill shrieks, come running like a pair of bears with these looks of "what the hell are you doing to my kid?!!!" I said, "he ran into me from behind on his bike, you're lucky I was able to maintain my balance" and we just walked away. But damn, the way they looked at us, you'd have thought they caught us holding a knife to his throat trying to steal his milk money so we could buy some heroin to shoot him up with. That was enough to seal the deal about never trying to protect kids I'm not personally involved with.