No Talking to Strangers

I have never understood why every mom in the world tells their children "never talk to strangers." I mean, yeah, don't talk to strangers if you never want to meet anyone ever! I know they are just trying to keep their kids safe, but maybe try "don't ever talk to creepy old men in vans" or "never talk to strangers who are old." I mean, I get it, don't talk to strangers because they may do something bad, but I think the real problem is that everyone grows up with this mentality and feels like they can never just walk up and introduce themselves to someone. We become so boxed in by this rule that we stop looking up while we walk because we are scared that if we make eye contact someone might actually talk to us.