Ariel Winter Went 'Undercover' As A 12-Year-Old To Catch Child Predators! WATCH!

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Ariel Winter may have left Hollywood (read more about that HERE), but she hasn’t left acting. And her next role is all about giving back. It’s a volunteer job… and it’s all about putting some real sickos behind bars.

The Modern Family star is working with an organization called SOSA (Safe from Online Sexual Abuse) — and going undercover to bust child sex predators. She told People in her cover story this week:

“They’re an amazing organization. They fight child sex trafficking online, which is usually the precursor to in-person trafficking.”

She revealed to the magazine she’s been working with SOSA for a couple years now. One night she and boyfriend Luke Benward were watching episodes of Undercover Underage, a Max show that follows stories of the organization, and it left her inspired to act:

“The show just impacted me deeply because I was that kid so many times over that was preyed upon in person online. 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.”

How? She volunteered for their new project, SOSA Undercover. In her first episode, which dropped late last month, she uses her youthful looks to pose as a 12-year-old — acting as a “decoy” to catch a potential child sex trafficker trying to lure her.

The undercover work is a bit different from TV where you get multiple takes! Ariel told People:

“It’s nerve-racking. We build decoy rooms in case the [perp] wants to see our rooms; we have personas. It’s very serious.”

On the problem of internet sex predators, she learned a lot:

“You’d be blown away by the number of people you encounter [who are Internet predators]. 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.”

The 30-year-old cautioned all the parents out there:

“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. 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.”

While she only meant to help others, the work with SOSA has been therapeutic for her — as she was also sexualized and preyed upon by strangers on the internet:

“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… I experienced a lot in my time in this industry and a lot just in so many other areas. I feel so lucky to have come out where I have now.”

You can see Ariel’s impressive transformation (below):

We are just so impressed with Ariel using her talents to help others — in what we’re sure is a harrowing ordeal compared to comfy sitcom acting.

If you have sincere cause to suspect 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.

[Image via Ariel Winter/Instagram/SOSA/YouTube.]