TikTok probably isn’t the healthiest place to spend a lot of time.
In fact, few social media platforms are.
But what if it is your job to trudge through the muck on one of these platforms to determine whether or not content goes against community guidelines?
That makes it that much worse because, not only are you removed from wholesome content, you’re immersed in the worst the Internet has to offer. And as any of us that have spent some time here can attest, it can get pretty bad.
It apparently got so bad for one former TikTok employee that she developed PTSD and is now suing the company for it.
As for what kind of content the plaintiff, in this case, was viewing, the complaint cited by CNN states:
“Plaintiff Frazier views videos of the genocide in Myanmar, mass shootings, children being raped, and animals being mutilated… As a result of constant and unmitigated exposure to highly toxic and extremely disturbing images at the workplace, Ms. Frazier has developed and suffers from significant psychological trauma including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.”
Frazier isn’t just seeking redress for herself; her action represents a class-action lawsuit against TikTok. Interestingly, Frazier herself wasn’t an employee of TikTok but rather a firm that the company subcontracts known as Telus (unnamed in the lawsuit). For their part, Telus cited various health options and internal policies aimed at maintaining employee wellbeing.
All of this comes at a rough time for social media companies in general as the public begins to closely scrutinize their impact on society and mental health more broadly. We’ve covered a lot of the issues right here on this blog, including the plague of bullying as well as rampant content theft.
As always, we’d love to know your thoughts on TikTok getting sued in the comments below.
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[CNN]
