Trauma-Informed Social Media: Towards Solutions for Reducing and Healing Online Harm

TL;DR

This paper explores how implementing trauma-informed principles in social media design and moderation can reduce online harm and promote healing, addressing the psychological impacts of trauma on users and moderators.

Contribution

It introduces a trauma-informed framework tailored for social media platforms, detailing principles and practical recommendations to mitigate trauma and enhance user well-being.

Findings

Trauma-informed design can decrease re-traumatization online

Applying principles improves moderation practices and user safety

Recommendations balance platform accountability with user healing

Abstract

Social media platforms exacerbate trauma, and many users experience various forms of trauma unique to them (e.g., doxxing and swatting). Trauma is the psychological and physical response to experiencing a deeply disturbing event. Platforms' failures to address trauma threaten users' well-being globally, especially amongst minoritized groups. Platform policies also expose moderators and designers to trauma through content they must engage with as part of their jobs (e.g., child sexual abuse). We consider how a trauma-informed approach might help address or decrease the likelihood of (re)experiencing trauma online. A trauma-informed approach to social media recognizes that everyone likely has a trauma history and that trauma is experienced at the individual, secondary, collective, and cultural levels. This paper proceeds by detailing trauma and its impacts. We then describe how the six trauma-informed principles can be applied to social media design, content moderation, and companies. We conclude by offering recommendations that balance platform responsibility and accountability with well-being and healing for all.