Alone and looking lost in a busy city shopping mall, there is no doubt these children appear to be in a vulnerable situation.
But will people stop to help them? Or will shoppers go about their business barely noticing the plight of the young girl and boy?
That was the question asked by children's services provider Key Assets in a recent experiment - and what they discovered was alarming.
In eight hours, only 21 people stopped to help children Samuel and Ava, who took turns standing in the middle of a busy Australian shopping mall appearing to be alone and frightened.
The experiment looked promising at first, with one woman stopping within minutes to ask Ava if she was okay.
"Hey sweetie, when's the last time you saw your mummy and daddy?"
The lady asked Ava if she wanted to go to the information desk or wait to see if her parents appear.
Two concerned women also approach Samuel asking, "Hey buddy, where's your mum? Are you all right, mate?".
However, despite the concerns of some shoppers, the vast majority of people walked past either not noticing the children or not taking time to ask about their welfare.
Key Assets' Executive Director Rob Ryan said while he was surprised by the fact so few people stopped, he believed the results of the experiment were indicative of what was happening in wider society.
"When you are in Australia's busiest pedestrian mall with thousands of visitors, it is sad to see that in eight hours only 21 people offered to help the children. It really is the perfect metaphor for what is happening to children in need," he said.
"There are more than 43,000 children in Australia that need care and protection. This number has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years, but the number of foster carers is in decline.
"We hope that this social experiment will help bring attention to the desperate need for more foster carers in Australia and encourage those who have never thought about it, to reach out to us."
If you would like more information about becoming a foster carer call Key Assets on 1800 WE CARE or visit canifoster.com.au.