A TikTok moderator has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that daily exposure to graphic videos has caused her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. She is demanding that the social media giant create a medical fund for its moderators.
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Bloomberg reports that a Las Vegas woman named Candie Frazier is suing TikTok and its parent company ByteDance over allegations that her work as a moderator for the successful app has affected her mental health after constantly being shown violent videos .
As part of her job as a moderator, Frazier is exposed to a stream of graphic videos that feature topics such as child pornography, sex crimes, beheadings, animal mutilations, and more. In her lawsuit, Frazier further adds that she also had to endure videos of “horrific cannibalism, crushed heads, school shootings, suicides, and even a fatal fall from a building, with sound.”.
Moderators must work quickly and must watch hundreds of videos during their 12-hour shift, taking only a one-hour lunch break and two 15-minute breaks, Frazier claims. Her lawyers explain that “due to the sheer volume of content, content moderators are not allowed to spend more than 25 seconds per video and are only allowed to watch three to ten videos at a time.”.
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The experience reportedly left Frazier with sleep problems and “when she sleeps, she has horrible nightmares,” the complaint states. Frazier is seeking damages to cover her personal psychological trauma as well as a court order to ensure TikTok creates a medical fund for its 10,000 moderators.
According to Frazier's lawsuit, the company failed to implement guidelines to help its moderators deal with the viewing of violent videos and images. Some of the guidelines include limiting moderator shifts to four hours and providing psychological support.
Although the social media says it does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings, it tells Bloomberg that it aims to “promote a caring work environment for employees and contractors.”
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“Our security team works with third-party companies on the critical work of helping protect the TikTok platform and community, and we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so moderators feel supported mentally and emotionally,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
Information source: petapixel.com
