There’s an epidemic sweeping America. 59% of teens report being a victim of cyberbullying, and the CDC estimates that it’s the root cause of 20% of teen suicides. Cyberbullying, unlike conventional bullying, is more difficult for others to see. With only 1 in 10 instances reported, cyberbullying can often go unnoticed until it’s too late. With this PSA, anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky wanted to draw attention to the problem of online abuse by putting viewers in the victims’ shoes.

“The Epidemic” is an interactive PSA that integrates real text messages with film.

The film, designed to be watched on a phone, is viewed twice. On first viewing, it seems to tell the story of a girl growing sicker from an apparent health epidemic. At the end of the film the viewer is prompted to enter their phone number to find out what really happened.

The exact same film then plays again, but this time the viewer receives real text messages at the same time as the girl in the video. The seemingly inconsequential glances the girl has been giving her phone throughout are revealed to be something more sinister. It becomes clear she is a victim of cyberbullying, the real epidemic of the story.

The film shows viewers how victims experience cyberbullying: on their phones, without any warning. The texts were inspired by real cyberbullying messages.

59% of teens report being a victim of cyberbullying, and the CDC estimates that it’s the root cause of 20% of teen suicides. But unlike conventional bullying, cyberbullying is difficult for others to see, with only 1 in 10 instances reported. The goal of “The Epidemic” was to reach teens, as well as their parents and teachers; if people can learn to recognize when someone is being cyberbullied, they can step in and help. From the start, it was decided that the PSA should be a mobile-first experience, seeing as teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day. Also, mobile allows viewers to experience cyberbullying the same way victims do: on their phones, without any warning.

On October 16, 2019, Monica Lewinsky went on NBC’s “Today” to launch “The Epidemic,” encouraging viewers to get on their phones and experience it for themselves. After watching the PSA, viewers were encouraged to send a message of support to someone in need and/or share it with someone else. As a result 2,500 organizations, influencers and celebrities shared the campaign, resulting in 775 million impressions.

Within a week, over 200,000 texts were sent in 157 countries. With no paid media support, over 2,500 organizations, influencers and celebrities shared the campaign, resulting in 775 million impressions. It was featured on media as diverse as Today, CNN, Teen Vogue, Daily Mail, People, Fast Company, and Business Insider. Average weekly searches for “the epidemic” increased 62% during the campaign period. Many celebrities were so moved that they discussed the campaign on their own Twitter accounts, including Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Mia Farrow, Neil Gaiman, Tony Hawk, Ben Stiller and Jim Gaffigan.