Latest news with #SOSAUndercover
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Modern Family' star Ariel Winter goes undercover as 12-year-old for ‘scary' sting operation
'Modern Family' star Ariel Winter opened up about her harrowing experience posing as a preteen girl to help catch a child sexual predator. The 27-year-old actress, who played Alex Dunphy on the hit sitcom 'Modern Family' from 2009 to 2020, joined forces with the nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) for an undercover sting operation that was featured in the true crime docuseries 'SOSA Undercover.' In the premiere episode, Winter pretended to be a 12-year-old girl to entice a 31-year-old predator in Oklahoma City. During an interview with the Daily Mail published Friday, Winter explained how she felt about serving as a decoy in the operation. 'It's definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference,' Winter said. 5 'Modern Family' star Ariel Winter went undercover as a 12-year-old girl to help catch a child sexual predator. SOSA Undercover 'It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children,' she continued. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save,' Winter added. 'It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.' Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs to play the part of the fake 12-year-old. In one scene, Winter was seen sitting on a bed in a room that was staged to look like a child's bedroom. The actress adopted a child-like voice as she FaceTimed the predator, whom she referred to as 'Daddy.' 'It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children,' she continued. 5 Winter played Alex Dunphy on the hit sitcom 'Modern Family' from 2009 to 2020. ABC via Getty Images 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save,' Winter added. 'It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.' Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs to play the part of the fake 12-year-old. In one scene, Winter was seen sitting on a bed in a room that was staged to look like a child's bedroom. The actress adopted a child-like voice as she FaceTimed the predator, whom she referred to as 'Daddy.' 'I was surprised by the volume how many men were out there looking to talk to young girls who were 12 or 13. It's hundreds of thousands of men,' Winter continued. 5 The 27-year-old actress joined forces with the nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) for an undercover sting operation that was featured in the true crime docuseries 'SOSA Undercover.' SOSA Undercover 'These men also look like normal, nice guys — they don't look like predators,' she added. 'They look like the guy next-door, and they're usually married and have children. The men seem nice because they have pets, and they show you pictures of their dogs. They talk about their everyday life, and they seem like sweet men. But the truth is they want to spend time with a 12-year-old girl, they ask inappropriate questions and want to know if parents are around.' 'One guy was almost 40-years-old, and he wanted to take an 11-year-old girl shopping for a new bra. That's not normal. It's not good.' The actress told the outlet that seeing adult men who were seeking out girls ranging from 12 to 14-years-old was 'wild.' 5 Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs to play the part of the fake 12-year-old. SOSA Undercover 'This whole experience has been heartbreaking, because I think of how young these girls are and they're being approached by much older men,' she said. 'I am familiar with male predators, because I worked in Hollywood at a young age, I started at age four,' added Winter, who made her TV debut in a 2002 Cool Whip commercial. 'I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it causes trauma,' she continued. 'The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it,' Winter explained. 'The movie and TV industry is a dark place.' 5 In one scene, Winter was seen sitting on a bed in a room that was staged to look like a child's bedroom. SOSA Undercover Winter noted how easy it can be for vulnerable children to become prey for adult perpetrators. 'Kids look for online relationships because they're lonely or bored, and then they find a male and think that they can connect to them, not realizing they are so much older and are actually predators with bad intentions,' she said. The Virginia native told the outlet that she planned to continue volunteering for SOSA. 'I like working with SOSA because it's women helping women, and I'll do it as long as I can,' Winter said. In February, SOSA shared a clip from the premiere episode on Instagram ahead of its release on March 20. At the time, Winter commented on the video as she candidly reflected on her real-life experiences with child sexual abuse. 'I was a victim of grooming online and IRL, and CSA,' Winter wrote. 'The effects are lifelong and inescapable. This has ALWAYS been a problem, but in the digital age it is only escalating to more extreme levels and in more manipulative ways.' She continued, 'The access predators have to ALL children in this day and age is immeasurable. This issue needs to be brought further into the light and fought with everything we have. These are very real situations, with real men committing very real crimes, being arrested by real law enforcement that we are asked to assist who are with us every step of the way.' 'SOSA helps get actual convictions and take these perpetrators off the streets,' Winter added. 'It is not easy to do this work, but it is so rewarding to know that we've helped protect even one child.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Modern Family star Ariel Winter poses as a 12-year-old to catch child predator in ‘scary' undercover operation
Actor Ariel Winter is putting her acting skills to some great use. The 27-year-old, who is best known for playing Alex Dunphy on Modern Family, recently posed as a 12-year-old girl to lure and catch a sexual predator. The actor teamed up with a non-profit organisation for the sting operation. The nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) produces a true crime docuseries called SOSA Undercover, which streams on YouTube. One of the recent episodes had Ariel Winter on the show, wherein she posed as a 12-year-old girl to lure in a predator in Oklahoma City. The actor wore a blonde wig and FaceTimed a 31-year-old child predator in the episode. The actor stayed in a child-like room for the 'performance' and even used a different voice than hers. The episode shows her talking to the man and eventually confronting him with the authorities present. Speaking about the experience in an interview with the Daily Mail, Ariel said, 'It's definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference. It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children.' Ariel said that she drew from her own experiences as a child actor for the show. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save. It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life,' she said. Ariel began work on television at the age of 6, first appearing in commercials, followed by minor roles in TV shows like Listen Up and Freddie in 2005. The same year, she made her film debut with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. After several episodic roles on TV and cameos in films, Ariel found her breakthrough playing Alex Dunphy on Modern Family from 2009-20.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ariel Winter Puts Her Life On The Line To Help Catch Online Child Predators
, best known for her role as Alex Dunphy on "Modern Family," has taken on a powerful new role off-screen. The 27-year-old actress has teamed up with the nonprofit organization SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse) to help combat the ever-growing problem of online predators targeting young children. Ariel Winter has participated in an undercover sting operation for SOSA's true crime docuseries, "SOSA Undercover," where she played the role of a 12-year-old girl to catch predators attempting to exploit minors online. Winter's involvement in the operation is deeply personal. Reflecting on her own experiences in the entertainment industry with Daily Mail, she shared, 'It's definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference." The actress continued, explaining that although pretending to be a 12-year-old and interacting with older men can be intimidating, the work is invaluable. "It's validating to put away predators that have been harming children." SOSA, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting minors from online sexual exploitation, partners directly with law enforcement to conduct undercover operations aimed at identifying and arresting child predators. According to Winter, the need for such operations is dire. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save," she said. "It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life." The dangers of online predators have never been more prevalent, as platforms like social media, gaming apps, and photo-sharing sites make children and teens more vulnerable than ever. Winter explained the difficulty of finding these predators, noting how they often use false identities and carefully conceal their true intentions. 'Finding someone is hard because they don't use their real name or handle, and we have to do research into who these people are," she explained. 'I was surprised by the volume of men out there looking to talk to young girls. It's hundreds of thousands of men.' One of the most shocking realizations for Winter was the normalcy of the predators' appearances. 'These men don't look like predators. They look like the guy next door. They're usually married with children and have pets. They seem nice because they talk about their everyday life, but they're trying to meet with a 12-year-old girl,' Winter shared. She recalled one instance where a man in his 40s tried to take an 11-year-old girl shopping for a new bra. 'That's not normal. It's not good.' The emotional toll of Winter's involvement in these operations has been substantial. 'This whole experience has been heartbreaking because I think of how young these girls are and they're being approached by much older men,' she said before expressing concern for young girls who are often lonely and turn to the internet for companionship, only to fall prey to predators. 'Kids look for online relationships because they're lonely or bored and then they find a male and think that they can connect to them, not realizing they are so much older and are actually predators with bad intentions,' Winter said. Winter's journey into this work is deeply rooted in her own experiences. Having entered the entertainment industry at a young age, she recalled receiving inappropriate messages from older men as early as when she was on a laptop or cell phone. 'The movie and TV industry is a dark place,' Winter said, noting how the trauma she experienced led her to seek therapy. Her partnership with SOSA is a part of her ongoing commitment to helping prevent such abuse. 'I like working with SOSA because it's women helping women,' she said, emphasizing her dedication to continuing this work for as long as she can. Roo Powell, founder of SOSA, praised Winter's efforts, acknowledging that her support is vital for the nonprofit. 'Ariel is boosting our platform, and it means so much to us because we have only five full-time employees and a smaller budget than most libraries. Ariel is getting the word out about SOSA. She has been amazing,' Powell said. 'She will do anything to help us. She helps take out the trash and eats cold cheeseburgers with us.' SOSA's work is critical in protecting children from online predators, and their methods are both highly strategic and realistic. The nonprofit stages undercover operations using decoy houses, where minor personas engage with predators on video calls. These operations are designed to build trust with the predators and provide law enforcement with the critical evidence needed to make arrests. With over 1 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, SOSA has built a thriving online community that not only raises awareness but also provides resources and safety tips to help protect children from online threats. Winter's involvement is helping bring more attention to this important cause, as she uses her platform to spread the word about SOSA's mission to protect children from online sexual exploitation. As she continues her work with SOSA, Ariel Winter is not only shedding light on the prevalence of online predators but also using her voice and experience to protect the next generation from the horrors that she herself faced in her youth.
