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"I didn't realize it would bring up some of the things past traumas for me that it did, but when you're in disguise as a 12-year-old and someone is telling you what they're going to do to your 12-year-old body… it's hard," the actress says.
Ariel Winter is opening up about joining the "fight" against online child sex trafficking.
In an interview with People, the Modern Family alum revealed she goes undercover in sting operations to catch online sexual predators, and works with the organization SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse), which "combats online child sex abuse and trafficking through undercover operations with law enforcement, advocacy, and education," per its website.
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Modern Family's Ariel Winter Opens Up About Why She Left LA & the Trauma of Her Childhood
View StoryWinter, 30, said she began working with SOSA "a couple of years ago."
"They're an amazing organization," she added. "They fight child sex trafficking online, which is usually the precursor to in-person trafficking."
The actress shared that she reached out to join SOSA after she and her boyfriend, Luke Benward, watched the Max series, Undercover Underage, which centers on the nonprofit and its undercover operations.
"The show just impacted me deeply because I was that kid so many times over that was preyed upon in person online," Winter told People. "I was just like, God, I would love to be able to help be a part of that. I don't want to say there's a solution, but I would love to help take some of these people off the streets."
In the first episode of the new series, SOSA Undercover, which dropped online last month, Winter transformed into a "decoy" for her first undercover mission, in which she donned a blonde wig and colorful clothes a young girl would wear, while also changing her demeanor, including a high-pitched voice. See photo of her transformation, above, and a clip of the episode, below.
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Winter opened up about going undercover for the stings during her interview with People.
"It's nerve-racking," she said. "We build decoy rooms in case the [perp] wants to see our rooms; we have personas. It's very serious."
"You'd be blown away by the number of people you encounter [who are Internet predators]," she added. "It could be anyone. The person sitting next to you or sleeping next to you. They don’t look like the ‘monsters' you think they would."
Winter reflected on how participating in the missions has impacted her.
"I didn't realize it would bring up some of the things past traumas for me that it did, but when you’re in disguise as a 12-year-old and someone is telling you what they're going to do to your 12-year-old body… it's hard," she said.
She added that working with SOSA has helped her work through her trauma.
"I experienced a lot in my time in this industry and a lot just in so many other areas," Winter said. "I feel so lucky to have come out where I have now."
Winter went on to stress that she wants parents to see her work with SOSA, so they can understand that there are dangerous predators who are online on their child's chatrooms and apps.
"People want to turn a blind eye and pretend this part of the world doesn’t exist or isn’t as prevalent, but it does and it is, so much," she said. "Kids are so vulnerable to being exploited online in this heavily digital age. Parents think, ‘I love my child, I’m present in their lives, they have friends, this wouldn’t happen to them.’ But it can and does happen to anybody.”
"SOSA is just as passionate about educating parents on how to keep their kids safe as they are about catching sex traffickers," she continued. "They even help pay for therapy for victims. It’s an amazing organization."
Watch the first episode of SOSA Undercover in the video, above. Find more SOSA resources, here.
If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
