The Challenge
Every day, content moderators sift through the internet’s darkest material—suicides, rapes, executions—so the rest of us don’t have to. They’re not algorithms, but real people exposed to violent content at an inhuman scale. Bound by NDAs, they remain invisible and unsupported, with their mental health often left shattered. Veris, a mental health network, set out to reach this hidden group. But how do you support people whose identities are protected and whose jobs depend on being untraceable? At the same time, Veris faced a cultural stigma in Latin America, where many still dismiss the need for psychological help—especially when it comes to online exposure. To break through, Veris didn’t just hack media. They hacked platform behavior itself.
The Solution
Instead of creating a new platform, Veris used one of the internet’s oldest features: the report button. "Report This Ad" was a campaign designed to reach content moderators—the people who remove violent content—by asking users to report the ad itself. Once flagged, the ad would be reviewed by a moderator, revealing a hidden message: an offer of free, anonymous psychological support, with no tracking or policy breach. For users, it became a moment to reflect on the content they scroll past daily. For moderators, it offered hope in the middle of their unseen work. The campaign adapted to each platform’s rules, ensuring moderators would see it. In two months, over 500 moderators entered therapy, with 70% staying in treatment. Veris also saw a 117% rise in first-time therapy consultations, sparking a long-overdue conversation about digital mental health.