DD pretending to be older online (Crosspost)

[allbuttroubled1]

Crossposted from AIBU to see if anyone has similar insights here?

I have found out that My dd (13) is pretending to be older (20+) online. she doesn't go into adult meaning porn etc spaces but I realised that she has been lying about her age to get friends and is presenting as much older. I don't know what she gains by doing this but I am very puzzled by it. Does this count as catfishing?
I've confiscated her phone to scrutinise it for now... AIBU for everything?

Indeed why?
Is she afraid that her interest group wouldn't talk to her?
Is she doing it as a joke?

You think she is catfishing at 13?

A bit naive.

I would remove her internet access for her own safety, she is incredibly vulnerable.

It’s easier isn’t it, to just make up a load of lies.

I was at a gathering this week where someone asked me if I’d been skiing. I haven’t but if I was anonymous and pretending to be someone else I could have said yes and that I was skiing at seven and that I had once seen Sarah Duchess of York when I was skiing and she complimented my hair and asked me who coloured it for me as she was thinking of going brunette. Then nobody would be talking about skiing anymore.

What else has she got going on that she does and enjoys?

@JazbayGrapes Well, she has virtually no friends irl, so perhaps yes. I think she must just find it easier to go find people to talk to her online.

So she feels lonely, has a hard time fitting in with peers and has more grown up interests.
What about socializing outside of school - anything to do with sports, arts/crafts, maybe volunteering?
Do you have a community club or a church?

Be careful, she may be being groomed and the groomer is telling her to lie about her age for his own needs. Please monitor her social media and talk to her...

Don’t assume she isn’t in adult spaces with adult content. We didn’t realise until it was far far too late. Devices were checked, parental controls on but it slipped through.
Having see this first hand with sd I'd be removing all internet access and getting therapy. Too late for my sd her life has been all but ruined by it and everyone around It has suffered