Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

USAEmployee relationsEmployment lawLatest NewsMental health

Facebook to pay $52m for failing to protect staff from harmful content

by Ashleigh Webber 13 May 2020
by Ashleigh Webber 13 May 2020 Starikov Pavel / Shutterstock.com
Starikov Pavel / Shutterstock.com

Facebook has agreed to pay $52 million to a group of workers who claimed they received little psychological support after they were exposed to distressing content as part of their role.

In what is thought to be the first case if its kind, employees who worked as “content moderators” for companies contracted by the social media giant claimed they had suffered serious mental health consequences as a result of having to review posts that depicted the acts of suicide, child abuse, beheadings, animal abuse, murder and other disturbing content.

Facebook did not admit any wrongdoing, but has agreed to pay content moderators a minimum of $1,000 each, with the potential for additional compensation if they have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of their work for the firm. It is thought some staff could receive up to $6,000.

The settlement covers any US-based content moderator who has ever worked for a third-party company providing services to Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram.

Around 11,250 moderators are eligible for compensation, and their lawyers believe that as many as half of them may qualify for extra pay related to the mental health issues they suffered, including depression and addiction.

“No one had ever seen a case like this, and the jobs that people do were in some ways beyond description,” said Steve Williams, a partner at Joseph Saveri Law Firm in San Francisco, one of the law firms involved in the class action.

“We are so pleased that Facebook worked with us to create an unprecedented programme to help people performing work that was unimaginable even a few years ago. The harm that can be suffered from this work is real and severe.”

Facebook said it would be providing additional support to staff that undertake this role at third-party firms.

It said in a statement: “We are grateful to the people who do this important work to make Facebook a safe environment for everyone. We’re committed to providing them additional support through this settlement and in the future.”

The case began in September 2018, when former Facebook moderator Selena Scola broke a confidentiality agreement and launched legal action against Facebook, alleging that she developed PTSD after having to review disturbing content. Scola and other content moderators argued that Facebook failed to provide a safe workplace or compensate them for the psychological harms they suffered.

According to tech site The Verge, which first reported the settlement, Facebook said it would make changes to its content moderation tools to help reduce the impact of viewing harmful images and videos. This will include muting audio by default, changing videos to black and white.

Moderators who view disturbing content on a daily basis will get access to weekly one-on-one coaching sessions, while those who experience a mental health crisis will be able to access a licensed counsellor within 24 hours. Monthly group therapy sessions will also be introduced.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Third parties contracted by Facebook for this kind of work will also need to ensure job applicants are screened for emotional resiliency; information about psychological support is displayed at each workstation; and that moderators are informed about how they can report violations about the workplace standards set by Facebook.

HR Director opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more HR director jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Migration Advisory Committee consults on skills shortages
next post
Pay freezes and tax rises may be needed to pay for coronavirus support

You may also like

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

Construction workers win compensation claim against defunct employer

9 May 2025

Zero-hours workers’ rights to be extended from beyond...

8 May 2025

Employment tribunal backlog up 23% in a year

7 May 2025

Ministers urged to outlaw misuse of NDAs

7 May 2025

Employment Rights Bill must be tightened to protect...

1 May 2025

Lords criticise ‘opaque’, ‘on-the-hoof’ Employment Rights Bill

30 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today