Ex-TikTok moderators sue over 'emotional distress' from disturbing videos
Two former TikTok moderators filed a federal lawsuit seeking class-action status today against the platform and parent company Bytedance,. The plaintiffs, Ashley Velez and Reece Young, worked for the social video platform last year as contractors. To fulfill their role as moderators, they witnessed “many acts of extreme and graphic violence”, including murder, bestiality, necrophilia and other disturbing images.
Both plaintiffs said they were tasked with viewing hours of disturbing footage, often working 12-hour days. They both paid for counseling out-of-pocket in order to deal with the psychological toll of the job. The lawsuit accuses TikTok of imposing high “productivity standards” on moderators, which forced them to watch large volumes of disturbing content without a break. Both employees were also forced to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition of their employment.
"We would see death and graphic, graphic pornography. I would see nude underage children every day," Velez told NPR."I would see people get shot in the face, and another video of a kid getting beaten made me cry for two hours straight."
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