Advertisement

Social media moderators to sign mental health forms

Social media moderators to sign mental health forms
Browsing internet. Photo/Courtesy
Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Content moderators are being asked to sign forms stating they understand the job could cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to reports.

The Financial Times and The Verge reported moderators for Facebook and YouTube, hired by the contractor Accenture, were sent the documents.

Moderators monitor objectionable materials and often view hundreds of disturbing images in a day’s work.

Accenture said the wellbeing of workers was a “top priority”.

In a statement the company added only new joiners were being asked to sign the forms, whereas existing employees were being sent the form as an update.

“We regularly update the information we give our people to ensure they have a clear understanding of the work they do,” Accenture said in a statement.

Accenture is a professional services company hired by firms including Google, Facebook and Twitter. Its contractors work as outside monitors for social media sites to remove any inappropriate content. The job often requires watching and listening to disturbing posts that can be violent or sexual in nature.

Both The Verge and Financial Times report that moderators were sent documents that required to them to acknowledge the mental health risks of the role.

“I understand the content I will be reviewing may be disturbing. It is possible that reviewing such content may impact my mental health, and it could even lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” the statement read.

The notices were sent to Accenture employees in the United States and Europe.

Author Profile

For these and more credible stories, join our revamped Telegram and WhatsApp channels.
Advertisement