It's 10pm, do you know where your children are?

If I was around when this was on and I had children, I'd be terrified. She's so ominous.

I'm not American, and we had nothing like this in our country. Do any DLers have memories of this, was/is it a big thing in the US?

It’s still airing in NY. I remember when it first came on, probably late 70s. It was more of a reminder for people to act like responsible parents and know where their kids were and what they were doing (and not drinking, smoking, vandalizing, generally being a menace to society). The beginning of helicopter parents.

Yeah this creeped me out too

Whoa, hold it right there OP! That's DL fave and recent well-deserved Kennedy Center honoree, the glorious Deborah Allen. And she's frightening as ever.

R2 I think she's looking for her next meal!

That's Debbie Allen, from the TV show, Fame. She played a dance teacher and choreographed the show. "She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award (winning three), two Tony Awards, and has also won a Golden Globe Award and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991" (Wikipedia). It was a PSA that ran at 10pm on network TV with various famous people. Parents and kids didn't have cell phones or whatever. It was about making sure your children were home and safe.

The phrase appeared in newspapers in the 19th century. TV stations started using it in the late 60s in response to rising crime.

Oh, is she actually someone R5? I had no idea!

Ahh, that makes sense R3 and R7 - so it was a reminder to parents. It just seems so creepy! Like something the guy on the phone would say in The Babysitter urban legend.

That's also very interesting R8!

R2: "I'm wearing one of them as a stole!"

My chile didn’t do nuffin

R9 The PSA itself doesn't seem creepy to me, but maybe Debbie Allen makes it seem creepy? Anyhow it's interesting how society used to be, in the US. Actually caring how/where children were and trying to make sure they were home. I mean I remember having to go to sleep at 10pm. I know parents whose kids are up half the night in the summer anyhow, it's weird.

I remember the phrase but where I grew up, it was only a voiceover just before the 10:00 news, and the wording was slightly different: "It's ten o'clock. Parents, do you know where YOUR children are?"

I agree that Debbie Allen staring down the camera makes it seem vaguely threatening.

I think this whole ‘Do you know where your children are’ campaign came about because…..back in the day we liked to drop acid and hang at the city park until like 4 am tripping our brains out…..in my town the cops didn’t really give a shit as long as you stayed out of their way. Acid was a big thing back then ….and we did a lot of it. It was almost a rites of passage. Can you pass the Acid test? LSD….take a trip without ever leaving home…….Blame it on Owsley!

I always thought the ads were talking about younger children...

Debbie Allen was just as frightening on "Fame".

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