Former Facebook Content Moderator Sues, Says She Now Has PTSD When She Touches A Computer Mouse

Evie Fordham

A former Facebook content moderator filed suit against the company Friday, alleging that her job gave her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — a claim her lawyers are using to seek a chain reaction that leads to a class-action lawsuit.

Selena Scola spent nine months as a contract employee at two of Facebook’s California locations starting in June 2017, reported Reuters. After reviewing “highly toxic and extremely disturbing images” of child sex abuse, torture, beheadings and more, Scola said she developed PTSD and blames Facebook for poor work safety standards. Scola’s PTSD is triggered by “entering cold buildings or touching a computer mouse,” the suit claims, according to Fox News.

“Facebook is ignoring its duty to provide a safe workplace and instead creating a revolving door of contractors who are irreparably traumatized by what they witnessed on the job,” said Scola’s attorney Korey Nelson in a statement Monday, according to Reuters.

“We take the support of our content moderators incredibly seriously … ensuring that every person reviewing Facebook content is offered psychological support and wellness resources,” said Bertie Thomson, Facebook’s director of corporate communications, reported Reuters.

Facebook uses more than 7,500 content reviewers worldwide to ensure its content is appropriate, but the company is pursuing artificial intelligence options that one day could replace human workers, reported Fox News.

The content moderators are a mix of full-time and contract employees, according to Reuters. Scola was employed through Florida-based Pro Unlimited Inc.

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