Controversial startup Rev has barred children under 18 from contracting for the site after reports that transcriptionists had to transcribe sexual and child assault content

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

• Rev has barred children under 18 from contracting for the site after Business Insider reported that freelancers listened to sensitive content regarding sex and child abuse without receiving a trigger warning beforehand.
• The company updated its Terms of Service with the age change on November 27, according to The Verge.
• Rev charges clients $1 per minute of audio for a 12-hour turnaround on most files.
• Read Business Insider's report on the working conditions at Rev, where contractors work long hours for little pay and have seconds to compete for good audio.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Controversial transcription startup Rev has barred children under 18 from freelancing after reports that contractors felt listened to sensitive content regarding sex and child abuse without prior warning.

Rev, which uses 40,000 independent contractors to transcribe and caption content uploaded to the site, previously did not have an age restriction for people working as transcriptionists, according to The Verge. The company reportedly updated its Terms of Service on November 27 to require transcribers be at least 18.

Contractors for Rev told Business Insider they had to transcribe sensitive content pertaining to sexual assault and child sex crimes without receiving a trigger warning beforehand.

Business Insider has asked Rev if they plan to add trigger warnings before sensitive content in the future.

Read more: Contractors at controversial startup Rev say they worked long hours for little pay, feared they could lose their job at any time, and had to transcribe interviews with sexual-abuse survivors without warning

One contractor from Ireland, who spoke under anonymity for fear of losing her job, said she felt pressured to transcribe an interview with a child sex-crime victim because finding clear audio files on the site was so uncommon.

Another contractor from South Carolina told Business Insider she felt uncomfortable transcribing a legal case involving a child with sensitive content that she did not go into detail about. She only found out the case involved sensitive content after the grace period, and did not want to risk losing her job by giving up the file.

"I know some people who have talked about working there for a very long time and they had a bad week and they're out of a job," the contractor told Business Insider. "I didn't realize how bad it was until I was hired on at [another company]."

One contractor from the UK recently toldBusiness Insider that she had opened a video file only to find herself watching an open heart surgery with a live, beating heart. She felt "nauseous" after coming across that video, and couldn't find a way to flag it for other users after she had unclaimed her file.

"You are privy to negative, offensive material, or you can just hear that one person is not well intentioned or benevolent," the contractor said regarding some of Rev's content. "It kind of gets under your skin. There's something very creepy about it.

This is a developing story. Check back to Business Insider for more details.

Do you contract for Rev or other transcription services? Email aakhtar@businessinsider.com.

Read Business Insider's full investigation of how Rev treats its freelance transcriptionists and captionists »