Molly Ringwald Details Being 'Taken Advantage of' By 'Predators'

Molly Ringwald is opening up about her experiences as a teen star ... sharing her time in Hollywood was more daunting than fans realize, 'cause she says she was preyed upon.

The 'Breakfast Club' actress reflected on her early career during the latest episode of the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast, where she recalled being "taken advantage of" -- this despite her shy demeanor and introverted nature as a budding celeb.

She added ... "You can't be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around." Now, while Molly says she wasn't sexually assaulted by any one individual -- she does feel she was exploited ... although she doesn't quite get into the details of how, or by whom.

Molly -- best known for starring in John Hughes movies like, "Pretty in Pink" and "Sixteen Candles" -- did say she found herself in some questionable situations back in the day.

She continued ... "I do have an incredible survival instinct and a pretty big superego, and kind of managed to figure out a way to protect myself. But yeah, it can be harrowing ... I have a 20-year-old daughter now who is going into the same profession, even though I did everything I could to convince her to do something else. And it's hard."

MR has been vocal about her films not aging well in a post-Me Too era. Last month, she spoke with the UK's The Times, calling out Judd Nelson's character in "The Breakfast Club" -- who sexually harassed her character in the film.

Molly isn't the only member of the infamous Brat Pack looking back at that time ... with "Pretty in Pink" costar Andrew McCarthy releasing a new Hulu doc about their struggles with fame.