Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cyberbully stalks teens; language, sex references, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
What's the Story?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: THE HIGH SCHOOL CATFISH is the story of a cyber assault that began in 2021 on two kids, Lauryn and Owen, 14-year-old sweethearts who had been friends since they were small. Soon their small-town Michigan world is rocked when vicious and salacious texts start hounding them, sometimes 40 to 50 a day. The shocking assault goes on for more than 18 months and includes takedowns that call Lauryn "worthless" and "anorexic"—and far worse. The texter seems to set up a fictional love triangle, warning Lauryn that Owen doesn't love her and she won't be able to keep him without performing various sexual acts, acts that the texter is willing to perform. The stalker, clearly female, seems to be trying to break them up, and eventually the couple succumbs to the relentless pressure and go their separate ways. Even then, the texts continue. When Owen finds a new girlfriend out of town, the texter sends her horrific messages, too. But the disruptions are even more far-reaching. The community begins desperately searching for possible perpetrators. Old wounds are reopened. Blame is cast on the innocent. Most puzzling is the way the stalker knows things about Lauryn as they are happening. The school principal becomes involved, as do the local police, but neither make progress for months until the FBI is consulted and applies cyber forensics to find the stalker's real phone number. The big reveal is a shocker.
Is It Any Good?
In some ways, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is a typical true crime documentary, lingering on many long interviews to tell the story, as movies of this genre tend to do. While a few minutes could have been cut out of this, the filmmakers should be applauded for placing the perpetrator's weak excuses within the context of the crime. Once the perpetrator is identified, that person is given lots of screen time to explain why she did what she did. Shockingly, she downplays the horrendousness of her behavior to an almost laughable degree. It's revealed that she has been lying about many things.
This is where the filmmakers do a great job of reminding us how horrendous the attacks were, using the texter's exact malevolent words, recalling the terrible damage she did to so many people. "Finish yourself, or we will," we see on-screen. "Kill yourself now bitch," she implores. Yet in the face of her 18 months of destructive stalking, she claims, "It's not who I am as a person." Against the backdrop of what she actually did, the perpetrator's excuses seem weak, dismissive, and unconvincing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way some people who make poor choices try to rationalize and justify their actions. What do you think about the validity of the perpetrator's explanation?
Do you think the perpetrator will change based on her explanation of what caused her behavior? Why, or why not?
Were you able to guess who the perpetrator was before the big reveal?
The movie raises issues about the dangerous effects of cell phones on children. Do you think the school should have banned them? Do you think parents should withhold them until kids are mature enough to handle the responsibility?
How would you feel if you were one of the people wrongly accused of sending those terrible texts?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 29, 2025
- Director : Skye Borgman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Run time : 94 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 25, 2025
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