Monica Lewinsky makes an important point about cyberbullying

Monica Lewinsky
(Image credit: Fernando Leon/Getty Images)

More than 15 years after the sex scandal that made her infamous around the country broke, Monica Lewinsky is back — and she's bearing a message about cyberbullying.

During a TED Talk on Thursday, Lewinsky described her experience with online shaming, which has become increasingly common. "Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop," Lewinsky pleaded.

According to Lewinsky, the internet has bred a "marketplace" for cyberbullying and public shaming. That's even led to suicide, Lewinsky noted, for young people who can no longer tolerate the pain of being tormented online.

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"[It's] time to stop tip-toeing around my past... and time to take back my narrative," Lewinsky said. She hopes that by speaking out, she will inspire other victims of public shaming and cyberbullying. "You can survive it," Lewinsky said. "You can insist on a different end to your story."

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.