Reading, PA asked in Criminal Law and Federal Crimes for Pennsylvania

Q: Is it against the law to talk to a thirteen year old girl but helping her through depression of harming her self.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: In the most direct form the answer to your question is no. However, the real answer is it depends. Depends on your age, depends on the content of the message, depends on who is making the decision on legality, and it depends on how she views the message. If the messages could be construed as you forming a relationship with her it could be viewed as grooming. Grooming is a type of behavior that sexual predators use to prepare victims for violation. If you are a person over the age of 18 and not a licensed therapist you are putting yourself in a very precarious situation. Your instincts and intent may be pure but again, those things are in the eye of the beholder. A relationship with a child is always something you have to be very careful with. If this is an online relationship it is even more precarious. I would proceed with the utmost caution. If she is truly at risk there are many many many organizations that exist to assist her, I would also suggest if you are not a trained professional you may be doing more help than good inadvertently.

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