If you find a lost child in Denmark, you can claim it as your own if the parents don’t show up within two hours.
Maps, memes, and visuals are often used to spread false or misleading information, quickly grabbing the attention of social media users and conveying complex ideas in a simplified, but sometimes distorted, way. . Fake images have been around since at least December 2022. circulated On social media, a map of European countries was displayed with the caption: “Countries where you can claim a lost child after 2 hours.”
— Terrible Maps (@TerribleMaps) December 4, 2022
The map was shared on the Facebook profile @TerribleMaps A reverse image search revealed that the map was also shared on other social media platforms such as Instagram and Reddit.
Countries where you can pick up a lost child after 2 hours have passed
byu/Redstream28 inMaps
We also found this rumor being spread on various niche websites. For example, information about charging someone else’s child after two hours in Denmark was included in an article titled “40 strange laws of Europe that will surprise you.” There it was written:
Denmark’s strange laws
If a lost child is found and the parents do not appear within two hours, the child can be claimed as one’s own.
Another article titled “51 Crazy and Stupid Laws in Europe” published on the travelaway.me website also states that “In Denmark, if you find a lost child, you must keep the child as your own unless the parents do so.” It can be argued that. Please come within 2 hours. ”
However, various comments under the post featuring the map in question suggest that it was originally created as a joke. For example, one commenter sarcastically wrote: “I am from Denmark. This is 100% true. As of today I have collected 136 children. Soon we will have an army.” Additionally, social media users corroborated this claim. He emphasized that there was no other source of information. “…literally the only source I’ve seen of this is this photo,” the Reddit comment read. “I’m from Denmark and have you ever heard of this? So please explain,” said another comment on Facebook.
We have found that there are no reliable English language sources to support the claims in question. However, several websites seemed to offer some clues as to the origins of the rumors. An article on the subject states that Denmark’s purported “two-hour rule” is “a law that requires schools, daycare centers, and other facilities to notify the police if a child goes missing for more than two hours without a valid reason.” He suggested that it refers to “a personal obligation”.
What is the two-hour rule for lost children in Denmark?
Denmark’s two-hour rule refers to the legal obligation for institutions such as schools and daycare centers to notify the police if a child goes missing for more than two hours without a valid reason.
Furthermore, this provision allows us to quickly respond to cases of lost or missing children and ensure the safety of children.
We used Google Translate to search Danish websites for information on this topic and found no evidence of the viral rumor or its purported explanation of its origins. Therefore, we rated this claim as “unfounded.”
In October 2022, we investigated another claim regarding Denmark. The question was whether Danish parents let their babies nap outside alone. It turns out that in Scandinavia, it’s common to put babies outside in strollers for naps.
We will update this article if new information comes to light about the origins of the rumors.