NEW YORK — Correspondent Natalie Morales ended up in tears when she put her and her 8-year-old son through the same parenting test that “Dateline NBC” is subjecting others to for a series that starts Sunday.
Using hidden cameras and actors, the network set up scenarios to see whether kids really follow their parents’ instructions to avoid strangers, don’t get into a car with a drunk driver or don’t cheat.
The results will probably depress you.
Time and again, children gave their names and addresses to a “stranger” who had taken their picture and talked about putting them on TV. Promised free ice cream, they climbed into a van driven by an actor who could easily close the door on them and speed away. Parents watched it all on monitors nearby.
“I would have lost my money if I put a bet on it,” one cringing parent said after watching a youngster climb into a car with an actor pretending to be drunk behind the wheel.
For four consecutive Sunday nights, “Dateline NBC” will show the scenarios, which also test whether kids would cheat or discriminate if given the opportunity. NBC hopes parents and children watch the programs together and discuss them, said Liz Cole, executive producer of “Dateline.”
During the special on driving, several teenagers swear to their parents that they never text or talk on their cellphones when behind the wheel. Their cars were equipped with cameras for a few months, and even though they knew they were being watched, most youngsters exhibited the behavior they said they would never do.
The teens also were set up with actors who pretended to be drunk or high on drugs. Despite the doubt on many faces, most let the actor grab the keys and get behind the wheel. It’s the power of peer pressure; too many youngsters go along with the crowd unless someone is strong enough to take a stand. In the “Dateline” episode, a girl whose uncle was killed in a drunken-driving accident was the strong one.
Parents need to be persistent and specific with their instructions, the “Dateline” experts said, and be mindful of their own behavior. If you don’t want your children to text and drive, don’t do it yourself.
