‘Modern Family’ star goes undercover as 12-year-old for ‘scary’ sting operation

"Modern Family" prima Ariel Winter opened up astir her harrowing acquisition posing arsenic a preteen miss to assistance drawback a kid intersexual predator. 

The 27-year-old actress, who played Alex Dunphy connected the deed sitcom "Modern Family" from 2009 to 2020, joined forces with the nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) for an undercover sting cognition that was featured successful the existent transgression docuseries "SOSA Undercover." 

In the premiere episode, Winter pretended to beryllium a 12-year-old miss to entice a 31-year-old predator successful Oklahoma City. During an interrogation with the Daily Mail published Friday, Winter explained however she felt astir serving arsenic a decoy successful the operation.

"It's decidedly cathartic to beryllium teaming with SOSA, knowing that I tin marque a difference," Winter said.

‘MODERN FAMILY’ STAR ARIEL WINTER FLED LA TO ESCAPE TRAUMA FROM CHILDHOOD STARDOM

Ariel Winter posed arsenic a 12-year-old miss arsenic a decoy to lure an online kid intersexual predator.  (Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for 4th Annual Legacy Ball)

"It tin beryllium scary astatine times pretending to beryllium 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to enactment distant predators that person been harming children," she continued. 

"Growing up successful the entertainment industry, I've been the miss we are trying to save," Winter added. "It's captious to maine to assistance support young women from the experiences I endured successful my ain life."

Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs to play the portion of the fake 12-year-old. In 1 scene, Winter was seen sitting connected a furniture successful a country that was staged to look similar a child's bedroom. The histrion adopted a child-like dependable arsenic she FaceTimed the predator, whom she referred to arsenic "Daddy."

"It tin beryllium scary astatine times pretending to beryllium 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to enactment distant predators that person been harming children."

Winter starred successful "Modern Family" passim its full tally from 2009 to 2020.  (Photo by Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

While speaking with the DailyMail.com, Winter described however she worked with SOSA to place online child intersexual predators. 

"Finding idiosyncratic is hard, due to the fact that they don’t usage their existent sanction oregon handle, and we person to bash probe into who these radical are," she said. "You spot a batch of acheronian things erstwhile you commencement investigating who is aft pre-teen girls.

"I was amazed by the measurement however galore men were retired determination looking to speech to young girls who were 12 oregon 13. It’s hundreds of thousands of men," Winter continued.

"These men besides look similar normal, bully guys — they don’t look similar predators," she added. "They look similar the feline next-door, and they’re usually joined and person children. The men look bully due to the fact that they person pets, and they amusement you pictures of their dogs. They speech astir their mundane life, and they look similar saccharine men. But the information is they privation to walk clip with a 12-year-old girl, they inquire inappropriate questions and privation to cognize if parents are around."

"One feline was astir 40-years-old, and helium wanted to instrumentality an 11-year-old miss buying for a caller bra. That’s not normal. It’s not good."

The histrion appeared successful the premiere occurrence of "SOSA Undercover." (Getty Images)

The actress told the outlet that seeing big men who were seeking retired girls ranging from 12 to 14-years-old was "wild." 

"This full acquisition has been heartbreaking, due to the fact that I deliberation of however young these girls are and they’re being approached by overmuch older men," she said. 

"I americium acquainted with antheral predators, due to the fact that I worked successful Hollywood astatine a young age, I started astatine property four," added Winter, who made her TV debut successful a 2002 Cool Whip commercial. 

"I don’t wanna accidental excessively overmuch astir it, but by the clip I was connected a laptop and compartment phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it causes trauma," she continued.

"The experiences I had successful idiosyncratic and online arsenic a kid person affected maine truthful profoundly that I’ve had to spell to therapy for it," Winter explained. "The movie and TV manufacture is simply a acheronian place."

Winter played Alex Dunphy connected the deed sitcom.  (Tony Rivetti via Getty Images)

Winter noted however casual it tin beryllium for susceptible children to go prey for big perpetrators. 

"Kids look for online relationships due to the fact that they’re lonely oregon bored, and past they find a antheral and deliberation that they tin link to them, not realizing they are truthful overmuch older and are really predators with atrocious intentions," she said. 

The Virginia native told the outlet that she planned to proceed volunteering for SOSA. 

"I similar moving with SOSA due to the fact that it’s women helping women, and I’ll bash it arsenic agelong arsenic I can," Winter said.

Winter said that she plans to proceed moving with SOSA "as agelong arsenic I can." (Christine Bartolucci/Variety via Getty Images)

In February, SOSA shared a clip from the premiere occurrence connected Instagram up of its merchandise connected March 20. At the time, Winter commented connected the video arsenic she candidly reflected connected her real-life experiences with kid intersexual abuse. 

"I was a unfortunate of grooming online and IRL, and CSA," Winter wrote. "The effects are lifelong and inescapable. This has ALWAYS been a problem, but successful the integer property it is lone escalating to much utmost levels and successful much manipulative ways."

She continued, "The entree predators person to ALL children successful this time and property is immeasurable. This contented needs to beryllium brought further into the airy and fought with everything we have. These are precise existent situations, with existent men committing precise existent crimes, being arrested by existent instrumentality enforcement that we are asked to assistance who are with america each measurement of the way."

"SOSA helps get existent convictions and instrumentality these perpetrators disconnected the streets," Winter added. "It is not casual to bash this work, but it is truthful rewarding to cognize that we’ve helped support adjacent 1 child."