Last week I was on the train, it was a few stops until it terminated. A group of 3 girls got on, I’d guess they were barely into their teens. It was busy so I was stood near the door, about 8 feet away. A ticket inspector who had been making his way down asked for their tickets which they showed to him. It quickly became clear they’d been bought the tickets by an adult which means they’re cheaper but the adult wasn’t accompanying them. The inspector began really telling them off, saying they would need to get off at the next stop or give their details. I could see they were panicking and one became tearful. I decided in the moment to step forward and say I was with them and that I’d moved further up so they could chat without me overhearing. The inspector seemed a bit annoyed but moved on. The girls thanked me and I moved back to my original spot.
I mentioned this to a family member in passing when we met for lunch. They said I shouldn’t have interfered and why would I approach a group of teenage girls anyway (I’m 41F with my own teen DD if it makes any difference. I thought I was being helpful and I’d honestly hope someone else would do the same if it was my DD. Did I overstep here?