A former YouTube moderator is suing the site after allegedly developing depression and PTSD after working there for a year, where she was exposed daily to videos of beheadings, school shootings, animal and child abuse and other disturbing content.

The lawsuit alleges the unnamed moderator, "has trouble sleeping and when she does sleep, she has horrific nightmares. She often lays awake at night trying to go to sleep, replaying videos that she has seen in her mind." She also allegedly can't be in crowded places for fear of mass shootings and is terrified of having children. During her time at YouTube, she allegedly saw, "a video of a smashed open skull with people eating from it; a woman who was kidnapped and beheaded by a cartel; a person’s head being run over by a tank; bestiality; suicides; self-harm; children being raped; births and abortions."

The lawsuit targets YouTube for violating California law by failing to provide a safe workplace environment for its moderators. It alleges that content moderators spend four hours a day reviewing disturbing content due to "chronic understaffing." Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that YouTube has failed to adequately prepare and screen content moderators for the disturbing content they will witness. Part of the interview process involves showing potential moderators disturbing videos, and while potential moderators are allowed to leave the room, many don't for fear of losing their incomes and access to health care. After hiring content moderators, YouTube allegedly does not do enough to care for their mental health; according to the former moderator, while discussing trauma from a disturbing video with a wellness coach at YouTube, the coach suggested she take illegal drugs, while another said "trust in God."

The moderator is seeking medical treatment and compensation for the trauma she suffered. She is also seeking the creation of a YouTube-funded medical monitoring program that would benefit the mental health of the site's content moderators with a program that would screen, diagnose and treat them. She is represented by Joseph Saveri Law Firm, who also represented content moderators in a similar lawsuit filed against Facebook in 2018, which resulted in a $52 million payout for the moderators.

The entirety of the lawsuit can be read here.