The lawyer of a TikTok employee who is suing the tech company alleged Monday that TikTok disciplined his client in retaliation for filing her complaint.
Candie Frazier, a TikTok content moderator, sued the video sharing platform on Thursday, alleging TikTok’s working conditions were unsafe and that the company failed to provide adequate support for content moderators who watch disturbing videos. Frazier further alleged her time working at TikTok had traumatized her and induced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
“She (Frazier) often lays awake at night trying to go to sleep, replaying videos that she has seen in her mind. She has severe and debilitating panic attacks,” the complaint reads. (RELATED: Rubio Demands Biden Ban TikTok Over Chinese Communist Party Connection)
Following the lawsuit, Frazier’s lawyer, Steve Williams, alleged to Business Insider that TikTok had disciplined Frazier “in retaliation” for filing the complaint, saying the tech company prevented her from working.
The TikTok logo is displayed in front of a TikTok office on August 27, 2020 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Williams also told the outlet it was unclear whether Frazier would be compensated for her time off. TikTok did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
As a content moderator, Frazier’s job involved viewing “extreme and graphic violence” such as “sexual assault, genocide, rape, and mutilation,” according to the lawsuit, first reported by The Verge. These included videos of the genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, children being raped and animals being mutilated.
TikTok did not comment on the specific lawsuit, but told The Verge that the company strives “to promote a caring working environment for our employees and contractors.”
“Our Safety team partners with third party firms on the critical work of helping to protect the TikTok platform and community, and we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so that moderators feel supported mentally and emotionally,” a TikTok spokesperson said, The Verge reported.
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