What Mom Finds in Her Teen Daughter’s Room Shocks Internet: ‘Dangerous’ – ryan

The internet helped a concerned mom solve a mystery after she discovered a cut USB charger with exposed wires next to a pair of scissors in her teenage daughter’s bedroom.

Redditor u/LamonsterZone posted a photo of the suspicious wire in the subreddit “whatisthisthing,” with the caption: “What is my teen daughter doing?”

She added: “Found this hiding next to some scissors in my teenage daughter’s bedroom. She’s done this before and won’t give me a straight answer. What is she attempting to do here?“ The post quickly went viral, racking up over 44,000 upvotes.

Many Redditors suspected the girl was secretly vaping.

Expert Insight

According to Rachel Marmor, a licensed mental health counselor and chief wellness officer at the PAIRS Foundation, finding a cut charger like this should raise safety concerns—and emotional ones, too.

She weighed in with Newsweek about the dilemma, saying it’s a moment that calls not for punishment, but for “calm, connection, and clarity.”

Tampering with chargers can pose fire and shock risks, especially if a teen is secretly charging a vape. But beyond the physical danger, Marmor encourages parents to look deeper: behavioral changes or secrecy might signal stress, anxiety, or a need for support.

Instead of reacting with anger, she suggests starting the conversation with empathy: “I found something that really concerns me, and I want to talk about it with you. I’m not here to punish you. I just want to understand what’s going on, because I care about your safety and well-being more than anything.”

“Most teens aren’t trying to cause trouble,” Marmor said. “They’re navigating a confusing world. The goal is to understand the ‘why’ behind the behavior—and offer guidance they’ll carry with them.”

Reddit Reacts

Commenters were quick to weigh in, offering their verdict on what the adolescent was doing.

“She’s vaping and trying to hide charging it. it’s not the right way, so you need to sit her down and explain what she is doing is going to cause a fire,” said one user.

Another added: “Yeah the worst part of this is that not only is she vaping but she’s making a literal fire hazard to do it.”

A third user wrote: “charging her disposable vape pen. easy but very dangerous way. overcharged battery can blow as it don’t have any overcharge protection.”

Others speculated about her motivations: “Hitting a vape. She’s not stupid. I’d say she’s anodizing or performing electrolysis on rusty tools. But this is probably a vape.”

And in a lighter tone, one Redditor joked: “You should discuss a career in electrical engineering with her, you never know.”

Newsweek reached out to u/LamonsterZone for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.

Newsweek‘s “What Should I Do?” offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek.