A Netflix documentary that detailed a Michigan teenager being catfished by her own mother has renewed debate about whether a digital form of Munchausen syndrome is emerging online.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish recounts how 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her then-boyfriend, identified in the film as Owen, were inundated with horrific and at times sexually explicit messages that appeared to come from online tormentors. Investigators and viewers later learned the messages had been sent by Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari, a revelation that drew widespread shock and scrutiny.
Residents and experts featured in the documentary described the case as more than a single act of deception, suggesting it reflects a pattern in which people manufacture victimhood online for attention or control. "I think it was a cyber Munchausen's case," said Bill Chillman, the town’s former superintendent in Beal City, Michigan. "She wanted her daughter to need her in such a way that she was willing to hurt her and this is the way she chose to do that versus physically trying to make her ill — which is typical Munchausen behaviour."
Medical authorities define Munchausen syndrome, also known as factitious disorder, as a condition in which a person deliberately produces or exaggerates symptoms of illness in themselves; a related condition called factitious disorder imposed on another (commonly termed Munchausen by proxy) involves inducing or fabricating illness in someone else, often a child. The term "Munchausen by Internet" has been used informally in recent years to describe cases in which people fabricate illnesses, crises or identities online and attract sympathy, donations or attention from broad audiences.
The documentary situates the Licari case among other online deceptions, including instances in which individuals have falsely claimed to have cancer or other serious illnesses and solicited support from wellwishers. Those hoaxes have sometimes led to financial donations, social media amplification and real-world consequences for those who are defrauded or who have their empathy exploited.
Experts and participants in the programme stopped short of declaring a new diagnosable disorder, but said the internet’s anonymity, echo chambers and viral reward structures can encourage and amplify factitious behavior. The speed and reach of social platforms allow fabricated narratives to gain credibility quickly, complicating efforts by victims, bystanders and platforms to verify claims and intervene.
Psychologists who study online behavior say parallels exist between traditional factitious disorders and online fabrication, but they also note differences in motive and mechanism. Offline cases of Munchausen by proxy are often driven by sustained attempts to garner attention via a dependent’s illness; online fabrications may be episodic, spread across multiple platforms and sometimes orchestrated using multiple false identities.
Victims of such deception can suffer lasting emotional harm, social ostracism and damage to personal relationships. Community members in Beal City and viewers of the documentary expressed concern for Lauryn and others targeted by online impersonation, and the film has prompted renewed calls for better support for victims and clearer paths for online platforms to detect and respond to coordinated deception.
Legal responses to online impersonation and coordinated harassment vary by jurisdiction and by the specifics of each case. Advocates say clearer policies, improved digital literacy, and additional research into online-motivated factitious behavior are needed to protect vulnerable people and to help clinicians distinguish between established psychiatric conditions and emerging patterns tied to internet use.
The Netflix documentary has brought those conversations into the public sphere, prompting renewed scrutiny of how technology can be used to manufacture crises and manipulate empathy. As officials, clinicians and platform operators consider responses, the Licari case stands as a high-profile example of the harms that can arise when private abuse plays out on public digital stages.