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High school is often considered one of the most difficult times in a person’s life — but while hormones and cliques can be truly awful, few of us have faced the horrors recounted in Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, a new Netflix documentary about a cyberbullying incident that spiraled far beyond expectation.
The Watch With Us team breaks down why you need to watch this darkly fascinating documentary, which sometimes feels more like a horror film, in September 2025 — find out more below.
‘Unknown Number’ Has One of the Most Shocking Twists We’ve Seen in a Doc
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish follows two teenagers — Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny — who began receiving threatening texts from an unknown number in 2020. One of the early texts received by Lauryn read, “Hi Lauryn, Owen is breaking up with you,” followed by another that said, “He no longer likes you and hasn’t liked you for a while. It’s obvious he wants me.”
The bullying continued on and off for two years. Local police and even the FBI eventually got involved — and finally, they found the culprit. We won’t spoil the twist here, but the result was truly shocking and deeply upsetting.
It’s a Subject of Heated Debate
If you love weighing in on the latest pop culture discourse, you need to watch Unknown Number. The internet is buzzing with conversation about the film, which some call a brilliant exploration of a twisted story, while others consider it exploitative and wrong.
If you like to stay informed about controversial films, Unknown Number is one to add to the list so you can share your thoughts. Do you think it’s wrong to turn such a personal story involving minors into a Netflix film?
‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish’ Shines a Light on Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a huge problem in American schools, with a national survey reporting that 21 percent of school-aged children experience it each year. This documentary illustrates the devastating impact such anonymous bullying can have on teenagers’ psyches.
Lauryn was only 13 years old when the bullying began, and the experience was incredibly traumatic. Even the investigation, which looked into Lauryn and Owen’s friends and classmates, created fractures in the community and ruined relationships.
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Director Skye Borgman told Netflix that Lauryn and her classmates, who shared their experiences with the crew, wanted to raise awareness about the problem. “They wanted to do their part to make the world a better place,” Borgman (who also helmed the recent Biggest Loser doc Fit for TV) said. “I just take off my hat to these kids because they’re willing to do hard stuff to put their story out there and to try to help other kids that might be dealing with something like this.”
While Lauryn and Owen’s case is extreme, Borgman explains, Unknown Number provides a lesson for parents about cyberbullying: “Listen to your kids, understand the threats that are out there, and give them the ability to make good decisions.”
English (US) ·