Should a 3-year-old child's testimony to his teacher (on child abuse) be admitted in court?

[Chemisse]

35. How spontaneous were they?

That's the problem. It is incredibly easy to lead a small child to say what you expect them to say. The truth is quite malleable to a three-year-old. A story about what happened is just as valid as the reality. Even if the questions were not leading in the slightest, you can still get a wild tale from a toddler.

That's why there was a sudden epidemic of day care sexual abuse back in the 1980s(?). Day cares were closed; caretakers arrested. And each time it happened, more parents anxiously asked their children if any of the teachers ever touched them or took their clothes off, etc. Most of the charges were dropped and convictions overturned, once it became evident that it was more the result of mass hysteria transmitted to the children by adults.

When a child talks about something that could be considered abuse, it is suggestive of abuse and needs to be investigated. But other evidence needs to be established before anyone goes to prison.