Is the cross around the neck an amulet?

After publishing the article “When should we take the cross off the neck?” on the Romanian part of the site I received the following comment:

Firstly, the cross is not an amulet, Mr. Filat. He who wears it, does this to show the sign which distinguishes Christians from non-Christians. And let’s be serious, I do not think that all alcoholics and criminals wear crosses around their necks. And even if it happens (although it is unlikely) they do not really understand its significance.

The statements in this comment are true, but I wonder, what will a child understand when he reads in the Religion textbook the following statements?

The baptized one is given a holy cross that he has to wear all his life. It is never taken off from the neck, and man is even buried with it. The Holy Cross is a sign of our salvation and a weapon against the devil. (Orthodox Christian Education, Textbook for the IV Grade, page 26)

But what shall one think looking at this picture?

Translated by Felicia Rotaru