Some of the girls I mentored in the past went to a younger rav’s shiurim and they loved it. They got very close to this Rav. Before you knew it he had given them his cell phone and they were texting back and forth. When I found this out i was very disturbed by it. I told them that they were invading his private time with his wife and it was totally inappropriate. The girls claimed that he said they could text him any time and ask him anything. I told him that he was very young and did not understand the guidelines that an older and more experienced Rav would understand and that he was putting his Shalom Bayis at risk. After a few weeks they said they actually met his wife and she didn’t seem to be too friendly. I told them they must immediately cut themselves off from this Rav and find themselves another older Rav which they did.
It is NOT always appropriate to speak to or confide in the opposite gender even though they are “titled” Rav. Many younger Rabbonim get involved in kiruv and in the At-Risk issue but don’t know how to lay down boundaries. This can be a problem as you can see. Although it is totally innocent it is still totally inappropriate.