It's basically a form of terrorism.

Abductors don't need to be everywhere. They just have to be a plausible threat to affect the thought process of a parent that's deciding whether or not they are going to leave their child completely unsupervised and unattended.

Maybe if the media didn't have a fetish for covering the incidents that do happen. Maybe if there wasn't a vocal subculture that crucifies parents for leaving their children to their own devices. Maybe if the thought of having the center of your world being beaten, violated and murdered at the hands of a stranger wasn't so mind-numbingly horrific. Maybe then this trend would start going the other way.

Or not? Sure parents used to let their kids roam free. They also let them ride in the back of pickup trucks and beat their asses when they did something wrong. There's probably a healthy middle ground.

I'm not concerned about abductions - no more than being struck by lightning. I am concerned about traffic, which is far heavier than it was 30 years ago and much more likely (than abduction/lightning) to end in serious injury or death.

That’s a good point, definitely a factor.

No, but it still seems like an unbearable outcome

It seemed like a bearable outcome to your parents. ;-)

There was an article in the newspaper a week or two ago about an attempted abduction 1/2 mile from my house. Kid was walking home from elementary school and they tried to entice her into a van.

You may dislike it, but this behavior is a social norm.

Yes, are you not on Nextdoor? You would be shocked.

Yes.