Not every man with a camera is a paedophile.

Try to remember this next time you see a man take a photo in a department store.

He’s much more likely to be snapping a fun selfie with Darth Vader rather than taking pictures of other people’s kids to perve on.

But this is what happened to a man at Westfield Knox, who had his image splashed all over Facebook by a mum who thought he took photos of her children.

His image was shared several hundred times and the man was branded a “creep” and a “pedo” before police stepped in and made it clear he was totally innocent.

There are many similar stories: a grandfather taking his granddaughter for a walk gets dobbed into authorities for being a paedophile.

A mother taking photos of her own kids at a swimming centre is investigated by police.

A child spoken to briefly by another parent at a school tells teachers someone tried to abduct him.

Primary school teachers who aren’t allowed to give upset kids a hug to cheer them up.

Clearly, things are getting out of hand.

Sadly, we live in a world where just about every male adult with children is seen in a suspect light, every person with a camera is a potential paedophile, and every stranger is a criminal.

It’s no wonder people increasingly say they wouldn’t stop to help a distressed kid anymore for fear of having their motives questioned.

Through social media people are causing panic by posting photos and personal details of suspected paedophiles online — in some cases without any evidence that the person had committed, or is likely to commit, a crime.

Even though many people freely share the most intimate details of their own children’s lives on social media, they are up in arms at the thought of someone else whipping out a camera in a public place or idly chatting to a child at a playground.

All this paranoia means children are increasingly living sheltered lives indoors, spending their time on computer screens rather than actually experiencing the world.

Ironically, children at much more at risk of harm in their own home from someone they know (most often mum’s boyfriend) than a stranger in the Star Wars aisle of a department store.

Twitter @susieob,Facebook.com/NewswithSuse