I think people tend to exaggerate the dangers of electricity for control over others. Yes , electricity is dangerous but it is also very useful. should a kid be putting a penny on the cord's prongs, No, but they overstated the dangers of what she did. It would also depend on where the receptacle was located, Bathroom, kitchen, it would possibly be a GFCI outlet that would trip if a tiny current ended up going to ground. but alas, I'm no expert (not due to lack of training) so I'm just basically rambling. lol