MODERN FAMILY'S ARIEL WINTER GOES UNDERCOVER AS 12-YEAR-OLD TO EXPOSE CHILD PREDATOR

Ariel Winter is using her voice and platform to help protect children in a powerful way. The Modern Family star, who grew up in the spotlight playing Alex Dunphy, recently went undercover to catch an online predator in a sting operation for a YouTube docuseries.

The 27-year-old actor teamed up with Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA), a non-profit that works to expose and stop predators. In an episode of SOSA Undercover, Ariel posed as a 12-year-old girl to lure a 31-year-old man suspected of grooming minors. To play the part, she wore a blonde wig, used a softer voice, and sat in a room set up to look like a young girl’s bedroom. She even FaceTimed the man, with authorities monitoring the conversation. Eventually, he was confronted as part of the show’s efforts to catch offenders in the act.

Speaking to Daily Mail, Ariel opened up about how intense the experience was. The actress 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.”

For Ariel, this was personal. She said her own experiences as a child actor helped her connect with the mission. “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 shared.

Ariel started working in the industry at just six years old. She appeared in commercials and had small roles in shows like Listen Up and Freddie. She made her film debut in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005, but it was her role in Modern Family from 2009 to 2020 that made her a household name.

Ariel Winter has been part of several feature films over the years, including Speed Racer, Duress, and Opposite Day. She also starred in the Halloween-themed TV movie Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred. Her performance in The Chaperone earned her a nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture at the 2012 Young Artist Awards.

2025-06-15T04:17:42Z