TikTok Content Moderator Sues App Over PTSD Caused By Graphic Videos

TikTok content moderator Candie Frazier has launched a class-action lawsuit against the app and its parent company, ByteDance, saying the graphic videos she was exposed to in her role left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

According to Bloomberg, Frazier views videos with subject matter including child pornography, sexual crimes, beheadings, animal mutilations, and more. Even more drastically, she described that she had to endure “freakish cannibalism, crushed heads, school shootings, suicides, and even a fatal fall from a building, complete with audio.” 

PetaPixel’s report noted that content moderators on the app are required to go through hundreds of videos during a 12-hour shift, with only one hour-long lunch break and two shorter 15-minute breaks. Frazier’s lawyers said that due to the volume of content they have to plow through, moderators can only spend up to 25 seconds on a video, with some simultaneously viewing three to 10 videos at once.

Unfortunately, due to the trauma and distress she has experienced, Frazier now has trouble sleeping, and “when she does sleep, she has horrific nightmares.” She wants the company to compensate her for the psychological harm caused, as well as a court order instructing TikTok to set up a medical fund for its 10,000 moderators. 

The lawsuit stated that while TikTok has guidelines in place, such as limiting moderator shifts and providing psychological support, none of these have been implemented to aid staff. 

In response to the allegations, the app said it won’t be commenting on ongoing legal battles, but mentioned, “Our safety team partners with third-party firms on the critical work of helping to protect the TikTok platform and community, and we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so that moderators feel supported mentally and emotionally.” 

It remains to be seen if Frazier would get her wish for a moderator medical fund instated.

[via PetaPixel, cover image via XanderSt / Shutterstock.com]