Former content moderator on Facebook sues society for giving him PTSD

The mental toll of moderation of disturbing content on the Internet is well known and is now the subject of a lawsuit against Facebook.

Former content director Selena Scola brought an action against the social media company, claiming that a "constant and unmuted exposure to highly toxic and extremely disturbing images" had left her with a post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to the California Superior Court filing, the company is accused of ignoring workplace safety standards that help protect employees from psychological harm.

As part of his work, Scola reviewed "thousands of images, videos, and live graphic violence shows".

She was employed by a recruitment agency, Pro Unlimited Inc., and started working at Facebook's offices in June 2017. Pro Unlimited was also named defendant in this case.

Scola was in the company for nine months and eventually developed symptoms of fatigue, insomnia and social anxiety before being officially diagnosed with PTSD.

The lawsuit claims that her symptoms of PTSD can be triggered "when she touches a computer mouse, enters a cold building, watches television violence, hears loud noises or is surprised."

"Her symptoms are also triggered when she remembers or describes graphic images to which she has been exposed as content moderator," the claim states.

Scola's lawyer, Steve Williams, of the law firm Joseph Saveri, said in a statement that his client wanted Facebook to create a medical tracking fund to provide testing and care to content moderators reached PTSD.

"Facebook needs to mitigate the damage caused to content moderators today and take care of people who have already been traumatized."

"Today, Facebook must mitigate the harms caused to content moderators and take care of people already traumatized," he added.

Another lawyer on the case, Korey Nelson, of Burns Charest LLP, added: "Facebook ignores its duty to provide a safe workplace and creates a revolving door for entrepreneurs who are irreparably traumatized by their work. "

In June, Facebook employs 7,500 content reviewers around the world, doubling this year to 20,000.

The company employs full-time employees, subcontractors and companies to fill thousands of positions that need to be revised every day.

Facebook's communications director, Bertie Thomson, said in an email statement that the company "is currently reviewing this request" and that she recognizes that "this work can often be difficult".

"That's why we take very seriously the assistance of our content moderators, starting with their training, the benefits they receive and ensuring that every person who reviews the content of Facebook benefits from psychological support and wellness resources ".

Thomson pointed to the internal advisors and other wellness resources it provides to employees, which are detailed in a post posted on the company's blog.