A TikTok moderator has filed a lawsuit against ByteDance claiming the platform doesn’t take measures to protect moderators’ mental health as they deal with traumatic footage, according to Bloomberg’s report.
TikTok is sued over mental health issues caused by traumatic videos
Candie Frazier, the content moderator, said that she has screened disturbing and violent videos showing cannibalism, school shootings, fatal falls.
According to the lawsuit: “Plaintiff has trouble sleeping and when she does sleep, she has horrific nightmares.”
Claims suggest that TikTok has moderators working 12 hour shifts with only one hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks.
The complaint says: “Due to the sheer volume of content, content moderators are permitted no more than 25 seconds per video, and simultaneously view three to ten videos at the same time.”
Just like every other social media platform, TikTok has its own guidelines to help moderators. These guidelines aim to help moderators to understand how to respond when they come across violent content. It would be helpful if companies limited moderator shifts to four hours and provided psychological support. TikTok allegedly failed to follow those guidelines, so a class action lawsuit was filed against them.
There’s so much disturbing content on social media. That’s why content moderators make sure that people aren’t exposed to traumatic images.
Frazier hopes that Tiktok screeners will be given monetary compensation for psychological injuries and that Tiktok will set up a medical fund for moderators.
