DEAR ABBY: I am a 10-year-old girl who has been playing after school on a Web site for pet lovers. I like to talk to kids older than me -- 14- or- 15-year-olds. A lot of the boys I've talked to have asked for my picture, so I went to Google and found a picture of a pretty blond girl around 15 years old. I have been sending this picture to all the people who have asked me for one.
Advertisement
My mom looked into my e-mail and saw what I had done. Now she won't allow me on that site or to send pictures, either my own or a stranger's, to anyone.
Was she right to look at my e-mail? Is it really dangerous to do what I did? -- GROUNDED IN ORINDA, CALIF.
DEAR GROUNDED: Yes, and yes! When someone asks for your picture, that person is interested in more than just talking about pets. Although you are intelligent, at age 10 you are not experienced enough to be in a relationship with boys who are 14 and 15. And on some level, I think you are already aware of it, or you would not have sent out pictures of a pretty blond teenage girl who is older. You are lucky to have a mother who is vigilant and protective of your safety. She may have helped you dodge a bullet.