SOSA Undercover: Exposing predators one sting at a time
Predator FilesThese days, our children are more connected to the wider world than ever before. Social media, online games and messaging apps provide greater opportunities to explore interests and make new friends, yet they also come with danger.
Predators posing as friendly strangers are lurking in the background, often where younger kids and teens frequently gather online.
For a long time, these predators were hard to see, let alone stop. But groups like the small non-profit organisation Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) have been working to change that.
SOSA has become one of the most visible and active organisations in the fight against online child exploitation. In Crime+Investigation’s latest series, Predator Files, starting Thursday, 12th March, we take a closer look at SOSA’s vital work.
What is SOSA Undercover?
SOSA Undercover is a YouTube channel created to educate families about what goes on behind their children’s screens.
Founded in 2020 by American writer and child safety advocate Roo Powell, what began as an awareness effort evolved into something more direct. Powell’s interest in how the internet can be both a force for good and a tool for harm, and detecting toxic behaviour online, were both key in the forming of SOSA.
The core mission of the non-profit is to protect children and teens from online sexual predators and to prevent abuse before it escalates into offline harm. To do this, SOSA works closely with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces, law enforcement and prosecutors in the United States. Together they create undercover accounts impersonating minors to lure potential offenders out of the shadows.
Once a predator is revealed, SOSA then works with law enforcement to compile evidence that can lead to arrests and prosecutions.
Education and support
In addition to these interventions, SOSA also focuses on education and support. It works with families, schools and communities to spread awareness about how predators operate.
They teach parents what red flags to watch out for and how to have critical safety conversations with children. SOSA also provides support for survivors of online abuse by connecting them with the right resources.
Roo Powell’s roots
Roo Powell’s journey to founding SOSA began with writing and advocacy. Before SOSA, she was already exploring how technology merges with human behaviour and safety. Her early work with tech companies focused on using AI to help detect harmful conduct online.
Powell also wrote about sex trafficking and abuse issues, which laid the foundation for a more hands-on approach. Eventually she realised that simply writing about these problems was not enough, there needed to be an organisation actively working to stop predatory behaviour.
As SOSA grew, Powell and her team became known not just for advocacy but for action. The non-profit’s methods involve careful and lawful collaboration with police so that the evidence collected can be used in court. These efforts were first pushed into the public eye with the docuseries Undercover Underage, which followed Powell and her team on real missions to identify and expose online predators.
SOSA YouTube channel
When the docuseries finished, the same team and producers started a YouTube channel called SOSA Undercover. This platform shares free episodes, behind-the-scenes content and educational material directly with the public.
You get to see a raw and unfiltered look at how undercover operations unfold, and how predators behave in digital spaces when they think no one is watching.
One of the main reasons the channel has become a vital resource for parents is that it doesn’t just focus on catching offenders. The episodes and information showcase the process, precautions and the toll that this kind of work takes on the volunteers and staff.
How is Ariel Winter involved?
Actress Ariel Winter’s path toward SOSA began surprisingly. Known for her role on Modern Family, Winter had personal experience with how early exposure to the public eye and online spaces can leave lasting damage.
Winter has spoken openly about encountering male predators both in person and online when she was younger, and how those painful experiences affected her.
Winter’s involvement started when she watched Undercover Underage, the docuseries that documented SOSA’s work. Seeing the impact SOSA was having piqued her interest, and she reached out to find out how she could help. What began with support work quickly turned into Winter going undercover, posing as a child decoy.
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