When I grew up, you worried about getting thrown into a van. Now, your cell phone is the van.
750,000 predators are online at any one moment, says one report.
Thanks to Renee Gordon (from The Daily Wire) for giving me the screener on this one.
Trailer for “Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- There are an estimated 750,000 predators online at any given time. Many of them are pretending to be teenagers, targeting kids through apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and gaming chats.
- One survivor’s phone was remotely controlled by traffickers, who streamed live abuse to paying customers (all while the child’s parents were asleep in the next room)..
More Highlights from the Doc
- Law enforcement gives unprecedented access to actual trafficking stings—viewers see arrests go down in real time and hear decoy conversations used to bait predators.
- Survivors recount how the grooming began with harmless DMs and escalated to blackmail (also called sextortion), manipulation, and even being trafficked across state lines.
- Many of the victims had supportive parents, good schools, and stable homes. This isn’t just an “at-risk kids” problem—it’s happening in places like Utah, Georgia, and suburban Ohio.
- One expert breaks down how most parents spend just 46 minutes total talking to their kids about online safety—even though In sting operations, undercover officers found dozens of encrypted phones, fake IDs, and folders of grooming scripts used to manipulate kidstraffickers may spend months grooming a child online.
Cameos – Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- A forensic analyst shows how predators use gaming platforms to lure kids. They can voice chat to bypass parental controls entirely.
- One undercover officer breaks down the coded emojis and phrases traffickers use to advertise children on social media. Think certain hearts, fruit, or location pins.
- A survivor explains how they were trafficked without ever leaving their home. Everything happened online, and the trauma was just as real.
- The documentary highlights that some predators are other teenagers. They’re recruited and coerced into luring peers on behalf of traffickers.
Watch “Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic”
You can stream the full documentary with a subscription to DailyWire+.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: note yet rated
- IMDb Rating: not yet rated
Director’s Note
The film was backed by The Daily Wire. The goal here is prevention. And the warning couldn’t be clearer: your kid’s phone might be the most dangerous object in your house.
Release Date
October 2025 (Available now on DailyWire+)
Wrap Up
This doc should be required viewing for every parent. It’s scary, yes, but it’s also empowering if you’re ready to have the hard conversations.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc