A content moderator for TikTok is suing the company, claiming that she suffered psychological trauma after “constant” exposure to violent videos that showed sexual assault, beheadings, suicide, and other graphic content.
Candie Frazier’s lawsuit against the social media giant claims that the company did not protect her while she was forced to work shifts as long as 12 hours each day reviewing graphic content, The Washington Post reported.
The suit alleges that Frazier and other moderators would review “extreme and graphic violence,” including videos of “genocide in Myanmar, mass shootings, children being raped, and animals being mutilated.”
The moderators worked to filter out that type of content from being viewed by TikTok users, according to the suit. In federal court in California last week, legal action was filed against the platform and its parent company, ByteDance.
In her lawsuit, Frazier claims that she developed “significant psychological trauma including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder” after being exposed to the videos.
The suit is seeking class-action status and alleges that TikTok violated California labor law by failing to provide a “safe work environment.”
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The suit is seeking compensation for the moderators who were exposed to the material while also asking that TikTok and ByteDance provide mental health support and treatment for former and current moderators, the Post reported.
While Frazier is not a TikTok employee, she works at a firm that provides workers to other businesses like TikTok, the lawsuit claims, “ByteDance and TikTok control the means and manner in which content moderation occurred.”
TikTok has been under scrutiny as of late, following a Wall Street Journal investigation that found the site could feed users streams of content focused on specific topics like depression and extreme dieting.
Moderators will view as many as 10 videos at the same time while being pushed by TikTok software to review content “faster and faster,” according to the lawsuit.
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During a 12-hour shift, the suit alleges that the workers are allowed two 15 minute breaks and an hour for lunch.
TikTok did not comment on the case as they said they do not comment on ongoing litigation. The company that Frazier worked for, Telus International, is not a defendant but did comment on Frazier.
The company reported that it has “several internal channels” for employees to raise concerns, but Frazier has never done so.
“Her allegations are entirely inconsistent with our policies and practices,” the company said to the Post.
