This 1980s social guidance film “Meeting Strangers, Red Light, Green Light” is intended to educate young children on the dangers strangers may pose to their safety. It cautions that while most strangers they see are “green light people,” meaning safe, others are “red light people,” that is to say they are dangerous and children should stay away. It walks through several signals that should alarm the child and help them realize the stranger is not safe to be around, for example if a stranger asks a child to accompany him to a deserted place, that is a “red light.” A version of this film was originally made in 1969; this update dates to the mid- 1980s and was produced by Sal Bruno for BFA Educational Media.

(00:13) A teenage girl listens to music while walking down a suburban street. A young man follows her.

(00:46) Meeting Strangers: Red Light, Green Light (Revised)

(01:50) A group of children walk home. They stop at the red light that indicates an oncoming train and watch it go by.

(03:12) The narrator explains that red lights signal danger while green lights signal safety.

(03:31) People’s actions are signals that indicate whether they are safe or dangerous.

(04:00) While most strangers are nice, some are dangerous, these are “red light people.”

(04:28) The man runs from behind to catch the girl.

(05:38) A child bounces a baseball in a park, a young man stares at him and orders two ice cream.

(06:15) The stranger approaches the boy and offers him an ice cream.

(06:34) A red light flashes over the man’s face, he is dangerous.

(06:44) The boy runs away.

(06:59) The narrator explains that a stranger offering you something is a red signal.

(07:21) A man asks a young girl if she could help him find his lost cat in an alley.

(07:45) The girl refuses and runs away.

(07:55) Strangers who ask you to accompany them to deserted places are “red light people.”

(08:33) A boy plays with a paper airplane, a stranger in a car asks him for directions and tells him to get in the car.

(09:29) The boy whispers to himself “red light” and runs away.

(09:54) A stranger should never ask you to get in his car.

(10:37) A young woman puts on a medical outfit and places a sign on her car: Hospital Service. She tells a child that his parents asked him to pick him up, they were in an accident.

(11:30) The child refuses and runs away.

(11:43) Some “red light people” use uniforms to trick children, just because they wear uniforms does not mean they are safe.

(13:16) A boy plays in his yard. His parents aren’t home. A man in a jumpsuit tells him that his parents asked him to come by and check the electricity, he tells the boy to let him into the house in exchange for a surprise gift.

(14:11) The boy runs away.

(14:28) A child should not allow a stranger to enter the home.

(14:45) Children gather at the movie theater, a girl sits by herself. A strange woman pats her shoulder.

(16:00) A stranger should not touch a child’s body.

(16:22) The narrator offers tips. If a stranger calls while you’re home alone, do not tell him you are alone. Tell your parents about any friendly adults or neighbors you meet. Be cautious when out by yourself. Tell your parents how you walk to school. If a stranger tells you something is secret, tell someone. You always have the right to tell a stranger “no.”

(17:56) Green light people are your parents, doctors and nurses you know, teachers, police officers, and your friends.

(18:48) Produced by Sal Bruno.

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