McDermott said that Mattel contacted her after . "They called to say 'somebody screwed up,'" she said. Mattel told her that the people who set up the video contest Web site "typed in the wrong thing when they set it up," she said.

It's the latest flare-up for what's turned out to be a controversial product for Mattel. Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning about Barbie Video Girl,

Despite her bad experience with Mattel's Web site, McDermott thinks that idea is silly. "I think the product is actually a lot of fun," she said. "For the older girls, they're rediscovering their Barbies."

The more important lesson is that parents should be wary, no matter where their kids are on the Internet. "Make sure your parental controls are on if your kid is on that computer," McDermott said.

The IDG News Service