What is a trusted adult?

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I want to know what the meaning is. Thanks.

An adult who is trusted.

Someone over the age of 18, generally with significant age gap over the child (not 19 to 17 for example), who the child can count on to act in the child’s best interest and provide help and safety if needed.

Not me.

A mature adult who can be trusted. Someone who embraces being an adult that you can trust.

In all the kids' PSAs I've seen about stuff like bullying, someone being abused by their parent, or "bad touching" they say to tell an adult you trust, and examples include your parents, a doctor, a teacher, a police officer, or whatever.

And then you'll learn you can't trust them or anyone else really quick.

I think those choices for the PSA are based on those people being mandatory reporters.

If a kid tells me their parent hit them, I am required to call cps. If anything happens to that kid and I didn’t, I am legally negligent.

However, I am some people’s “trusted adult” and there was actually a situation this year where a 17 y.o. I know very well started to tell me a story and I said “ok, stop. Do you want xyz to happen? Because if you continue with this story the way it seems to be going, I may have to call someone and that will be the probable outcome.” And the kid said “nevermind, I was taking some creative liberties.” And then I checked up on them carefully “so, I just want to check in with you and make sure this thing is not happening and there isn’t anything you need to tell me and you don’t need any assistance or accommodation that I could offer you as a person who would like to make your life easier.” (I can provide “extra help” after school that keeps the kid there, or permission to go take a nap in the health room, clean clothes, or food, no questions asked.) and the problem resolved itself. Which was a much better option than social services getting involved with the family.

An adult who you feel comfortable telling about a problem. Someone who you feel will listen to you and help you.

So when I was getting bullied at school I told my Mum and she talked to my teacher about it. I found my teacher scary so I didn't talk to her first. I went to the person I trusted to listen to me, who was my Mum. I can't remember if I told my Grandma too, probably. It was a long time ago.

They say "trusted adult" rather than "your parents" because in some cases it's the parent that might be hurting the child and the child needs to talk to another adult that they trust instead.

When I was a kid there was a PSA with He-Man and She-Ra about "bad touching", and He-Man's list of adults you can trust include parents, a teacher, a priest, a minister, or a rabbi. The funny/sad thing is that these trusted adults are all more likely to have molested a kid than some total stranger off the street.

Although I did read last night that one kid apparently did get help after seeing the PSA.

So. Why are some trusted adults are good and some of them are bad?

Some people trust the wrong adults.
Some adults in positions that should be held by trustworthy adults are not trustworthy.