This is the true damage that the whole yellow journalism movement (remember the song "Dirty Laundry"?) has done, and that Dubya has promoted.... These are older members of the community, your parents' age, who grew up when such things were just being neighborly.... not that there's anything wrong with you looking out for the kid; after all, this is the 21st century, and stuff happens...

No, I think you can blame this one on "society".... and take steps as a member of that society to strike a happy medium between healthy paranoia and having some fun.