A pair of former TikTok content reviewers is suing the company, alleging that it failed to adequately support them as they engaged in the deeply disturbing work of removing objectionable videos from the social network. NPR first reported the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in federal court.
Plaintiffs Ashley Velez and Reece Young both did moderation work for TikTok on contract through third party companies — Canadian tech firm Telus International and a New York-based company called Atrium, respectively. Velez and Young are seeking class-action status, which would allow other TikTok content moderators alleging that they were negatively impacted by the companies practices to join the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok and ByteDance violated California labor laws by failing to provide Velez and Young with adequate mental health support in spite of the mental risks of the “abnormally dangerous …
