A TIKTOK moderator said in a class action lawsuit that the company allegedly forced her and other moderators to watch graphic content like child rape and cannibal videos for an average of 12 hours a day.
The suit claimed they’re “monitored by [TikTok developer] ByteDance and TikTok through their software … to supervise employees to ensure they remain on the platform at all times during work hours and strictly adhere to time breaks.”
The collective “highly toxic” work conditions caused Frazier – and other moderators – to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and other “significant” psychological trauma, according to the lawsuit.
TikTok moderators “witness thousands of acts of extreme and graphic violence, including sexual assault, genocide, rape, and mutilation,” the lawsuit said.
This includes “videos of the genocide in Myanmar, mass shootings, children being raped and animals being mutilated.
“Content Moderators like Plaintiff Frazier spend twelve hours a day reviewing and moderating such videos to prevent disturbing content from reaching TikTok’ s users.
“Content Moderators also face repeated exposure to conspiracy theories
(including suggestions that the Covid-19 pandemic is a fraud), distortions of historical facts (like denials that the Holocaust occurred), fringe beliefs, and political disinformation.”
This included “false information about participating in the census, lies about a political candidate’s citizenship status or eligibility for public office, and manipulated or doctored videos of elected officials”
Millions of videos – including these type of graphic content – are uploaded to TikTok daily, and the social media platform relies on moderators to remove videos that don’t meet the terms of service.
The toll has resulted in “extreme fatigue, dissociation, difficulty sleeping,
excessive weight gain, anxiety, nausea and other digestive issues,” the lawsuit said.
Frazier claimed in the lawsuit that moderators are supposed to work no more than four hours but are routinely working up to three times as long.
They’re allowed two fifteen-minute breaks and one hour-long lunch, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles federal court on December 23.
If moderators go over that, TikTok allegedly withholds pay, according to the legal action.
“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,” the lawsuit said.
Frazier’s legal action seeks compensation for the alleged psychological damage and a court order that forces TikTok to set up a medical fund for moderators.
A TikTok sent an email to The Sun responding to the lawsuit.
“While we do not comment on ongoing litigation, we strive to promote a caring working environment for our employees and contractors.
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.”
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