Protecting employee mental health is a priority for any successful organization. For teams in Trust and Safety, and specifically those involved in content moderation, this support is a fundamental operational need.
Content Moderators review large volumes of user-generated content to uphold community standards and protect users from harmful material. Despite the demanding nature of this work, the mental wellbeing of content moderators is frequently overlooked.
This article explains why prioritizing mental health for content moderators is a business necessity and outlines the supportive measures required to protect them.
Why Content Moderator Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
Content Moderators can be exposed to a high level of egregious content. For example, hate speech, child-related abuse, harm to animals, and war zone content. These types of content can have a profoundly detrimental impact on the wellbeing and mental health of content moderators.
Recognizing the Mental Health Challenges in Content Moderation
Content moderation, by its very nature, exposes individuals to a barrage of distressing and potentially traumatic content; the link between this graphic content exposure and mental health outcomes is increasingly recognized.
From graphic violence and hate speech to child exploitation and terrorist propaganda, moderators are constantly immersed in a digital landscape fraught with emotional triggers. The sheer volume and intensity of this content can take a significant toll on their psychological wellbeing.
Stress factors in working environments for content moderators
There are other stressors related to the role that can increase the risk of mental health difficulties, like stress and anxiety.
These include a high-volume workload, target-based performance, frequent changes in the industry, and world events that directly impact the content that moderators work with, a recent example being the conflict in Gaza.
Burnout and the Importance of Content Moderation Wellbeing
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a high level of burnout in this role, highlighting the importance of prioritizing mental health support.
The Risks of Vicarious Trauma for Content Moderators
A mental health-related risk to be particularly aware of for Content Moderators is Vicarious Trauma (VT). VT is a key area of psychological research in content moderation, theorized to stem from indirect exposure to graphic content, resulting in re-experiencing, avoidance, hypervigilance, and hyperarousal.
The Connection Between Content Moderation and PTSD
VT can be triggered by a single exposure to egregious content, but the more exposure to graphic content, the more vulnerable moderators are to experience and prolong acute stress symptoms.
Risk Factors for Content Moderator Mental Health
Not every moderator will develop Vicarious Trauma, and recent research (PDF) into content moderation and PTSD connections shows that, like any mental health difficulty, various factors can decrease or increase the likelihood of this developing.
Some risk factors include stress both inside and outside the workplace, challenging workplace dynamics, poor mental health, and a lack of social support.
Mitigating Mental Health Risks in Content Moderation Roles
The good news is that the risks of developing VT, burnout, and other mental health difficulties in this role can be mitigated by prioritizing wellbeing in content moderation and mental health.
Comprehensive Health Support for Content Moderators
Content Moderator teams must have extra layers of wellbeing support, which includes comprehensive health support for content moderators, and be given sufficient time to access this support.
Mental Health Training for Digital Moderators
Providing clear information during onboarding, including mental health training for digital moderators on signs and symptoms, particularly VT, helps raise awareness and catch and treat symptoms early on.
Early Interventions and Activity-Based Wellbeing Strategies
This section outlines practical, evidence-based strategies that support Content Moderators early in the exposure cycle (before symptoms escalate) through targeted training, activity-based interventions, and protective measures integrated into daily workflows.
Peer Support & Psychoeducation Training Boost Moderator Wellbeing
A 2024 umbrella review of 426 studies shows that structured peer-support programs combined with systematic psychoeducation improve depression scores, raise self-efficacy, and accelerate personal recovery when staff receive proper training and supervision.
Embedding trained peer supporters and short, evidence-based learning modules during work hours, therefore, forms the first pillar of an effective wellbeing package for Content Moderators.
Resilience Workshops plus 1-to-1 Counseling Lower Psychological Distress
An April 2025 replication study of frontline moderators found that 28 % of employees reported moderate-to-severe psychological distress, yet problem-focused coping skills predicted lower trauma symptoms and higher overall wellbeing.
Targeted resilience workshops that teach active coping strategies, followed immediately by confidential clinical counseling sessions, address those gaps and deliver personalized care where it is most needed.
Early-Intervention Programs Cut Sick Leave and Reduce Stigma
The Prevail cluster-randomized trial, conducted across 1,051 public-sector employees, demonstrated significant reductions in self-stigma and a measurable drop in sickness absence within three months of a low-intensity, whole-workforce mental health intervention.
Acting quickly (before symptoms escalate) maintains productivity and speeds recovery, highlighting the value of proactive mental health screening and training for moderation teams.
Protected Wellbeing Time Deactivates Fight-Flight-Freeze
Recent neuroscience research confirms that prolonged activation of fight, flight, or freeze pathways drives chronic hypervigilance and toxic stress unless the nervous system is deliberately down-regulated.
Scheduling short, protected breaks after reviewing disturbing material lets moderators breathe, stretch, or share peer support, allowing autonomic arousal to return to baseline and lowering vicarious-trauma risk.
Visuospatial Tasks Like Tetris Curb Intrusive Memories
A 2023 randomized controlled trial with intensive-care nurses showed that a 10- to 20-minute Tetris session paired with brief memory reactivation slashed intrusive memories to one-tenth of control levels and eased anxiety and insomnia.
Integrating similar, quick, and engaging visuospatial games into post-exposure breaks offers a low-cost, scalable tool that helps moderators process shocking content before it becomes embedded as distressing imagery.
Building a Sustainable Culture of Care
Companies must prioritize the wellbeing and mental health of Content Moderators to support them in an essential but often challenging role. Though it may be uncomfortable to face, it is not helpful to shy away from the reality of the mental health difficulties that many moderators face as a direct result of their work.
Being open about potential harms and tackling this head-on through a robust wellbeing program is the safest and most ethical way to protect Content Moderators – the unseen and silent guardians who keep platforms and users safe by, at times, putting their health at risk.
Collaborative Wellbeing Strategies for BPO Moderators
Creating a culture of care in content moderation environments begins with collaboration and mutual understanding. Every stakeholder plays a part in shaping effective, sustainable wellbeing strategies.
Start with the people directly impacted – Content Moderators. Their lived experiences provide valuable insight into the unique challenges of the role.
Involve management and HR teams who can operationalize support frameworks. Include policy teams to align mental health practices with compliance standards. Where applicable, collaborate with external mental health providers and consultants who specialize in supporting BPO moderators.
Senior leadership must remain actively engaged. Their decisions shape resource allocation, signal organizational priorities, and set the tone for care-led values.
Protecting Content Moderators Is a Business Imperative
The mental health of moderators is a non-negotiable priority for any organization that relies on their work. Proactive support protects these employees and reinforces operational stability.
At Zevo Health, we create specialized wellbeing programs that build resilience for Trust and Safety teams. To build a stronger, more supportive environment for your moderators, talk to us.
