As per Bloomberg, the social media platform TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are being sued by a moderator who claims to have experienced trauma due to the disturbing graphics and videos. Seeking class action status, the host, Candie Frazier, alleges that she was exposed to videos featuring violence, school shootings, fatal falls, and even fratricide. The lawsuit states that the plaintiff suffers from insomnia and experiences distressing nightmares during sleep.
To prevent users from being exposed to graphic and traumatic images on social media, the responsibility of dealing with such content should be placed on content moderators. A company that supplies content auditors to major technology companies acknowledged in a consent letter that this line of work could potentially cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, social media companies faced criticism from their moderators and others for insufficient compensation in light of the psychological risks involved, as well as inadequate provision of mental health assistance. In 2018, Facebook was also subject to a similar legal action. Additionally, real active TikTok likes and social media panel services are available.
