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The People Behind the Screens: Why Tech Companies Need New Protocols for Safe Content Moderation lays out the traumatic, high-pressure conditions workers endure as well as concrete steps to reduce unnecessary psychological harm. These include measures to address PTSD, depression, burnout and even suicidality among moderation workers.
Eight Protocols for Sustainable content moderation
Exposure limits
Strict time limits on moderating harmful content; use of blurring, grayscale and excerpts to minimize exposure. Mirror best practices in emergency response professions.
Revised productivity metrics
Eliminate unrealistic quotas and ensure human oversight in performance evaluations. Remove productivity targets for moderating egregious content.
Health and Safety training
Comprehensive, transparent, mandatory and re-occurring, trauma-informed training for moderators and their supervisors.
Employee support
24/7 employee assistance access; counselling; critical incident reporting; and trauma-informed resources. Post-contract support for at least 24 months to address delayed-onset trauma.
Stable employment, living wages
Formalized employment with permanent contracts, living wages and full employment benefits.
Health & Safety Committees
Democratically elected committees to enforce workplace protections and perform regular audits with transparent health and safety assessments.
Migrant worker protections
Policies that prevent exploitation, provide job security, protect against labour abuses and support vulnerable workers.
Right to organize
Respect for the right to organize without interference or opposition from the employer, alongside a policy to allow access to the union. Collective bargaining with recognized unions.