Social Media content moderators at a Texas facility called Accenture have been required to sign a contract called “Acknowledged” notifying them of the potential mental health warnings that come along with their specific job title. It has been now given to employees before accepting the job, and given to current employees also. This contract came into action because of the Verge investigation on employee PTSD. the contract stated, “It is possible that reviewing such content may impact my mental health, and it could even lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”
YouTube is not the only brand facing these issues. Many of the thousands of the workers who moderate content for Facebook have reported harmful psychological effects from viewing graphic content on a daily basis, a September 2019 report from the Guardian found. In February, the Verge published one of the first behind-the-scenes reportsfrom a US Facebook contractor where employees reported “the conspiracy videos and memes that they see each day gradually led them to embrace fringe views”, and that a former moderator “now sleeps with a gun at his side”.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/24/youtube-moderators-contract-ptsd-mental-health
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 