Are Trigger Warnings Ruining Us?

Racism, sexual violence, colonialism, and graphic brutality.

These are the trigger warnings provided on the Book Trigger Warnings database for Joseph Conrad's classic novel Heart of Darkness, published in 1899. Modern literature, such as R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, published in 2023, receives no less than a sixteen-item extensive list of potentially sensitive topics, including alcohol, anti-queer sentiments, blackmailing, racism, rape, slurs, and suicidal ideology.

You’ve probably seen the note “TW” at the start of a post on the internet. Similarly, trigger warnings have been implemented within the publishing world as a form of protection to help readers identify topics they would rather not encounter. But have trigger warnings offered any real-world benefits?

Dive in as we explore the debate for and against trigger warnings, chat with various authors who encountered trigger warnings in their works, and discover what curated literature means in a world with access to an uncensored internet.

The History of Trigger Warnings

The concept of trigger warnings originated in the late 1990s. Feminist message boards were known to employ cautionary labels to prevent emotional distress around topics such as sexual assault. Eventually, the concept caught on across the internet, and then started popping up in printed material, too.

What’s Up with Trigger Warnings?

Today, content warnings are fairly ubiquitous — and also contentious. Some people proclaim these warnings offer mental health protection, allow for more personal decision-making in reading selection, and provide a greater sense of accessibility. Naysayers point out that trigger warnings could limit artistic freedom, create more homogenized literature, and help people avoid facing difficult yet necessary conversations.

The concept of these content warnings became especially debated on college campuses across the U.S. in the 2010s. Some universities, such as Oberlin College, called on their instructors to include trigger warnings for course material that students could find distressing. Others, like the University of Chicago, put out official statements condemning trigger warnings.

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) conducted a survey in 2015 that found students at 15 percent of participating institutions had requested trigger warnings for course material, while an overwhelming 62 percent of instructors thought trigger warnings “have had or will have a negative effect on academic freedom.” Yet other professors proclaim trigger warnings help educators, too.

That same year, The Atlantic called this movement on college campuses “the coddling of the American mind.”

Pros: Protecting Mental Health & Reader Choice

The most commonly argued benefit of content warnings is to provide mental health protection for individuals who may have experienced trauma. After all, shouldn't it be the choice of the reader to decide what they wish to ingest intellectually?

Providing readers with a choice and empowering them to make informed decisions allows them to decide whether they wish to engage with the content or avoid it to prevent distress, anxiety, and traumatic flashbacks. For many readers who use literature as a form of escape, this is incredibly beneficial.

For people who have mental health conditions such as PTSD or debilitating anxiety, trigger warnings create a sense of renewed accessibility. Books with trigger warnings can be enjoyed by those who may have avoided literature due to a fear of unknown themes.

Individuals who have mental health concerns may even be able to prepare themselves to cope with the material, a potentially critical step toward improved health.

Cons: Censorship & Avoiding Difficult Topics

While it’s clear trigger warnings were created with good intentions, critics say that imposing such cautions on books could lead to censorship and limited artistic freedom. Authors often explore challenging themes, and the threat of including a trigger warning may be enough to silence their expression for fear of not being published.

The idea of censorship seems like a stretch at first, but skeptics wonder if the widespread use of trigger warnings causes publishers to be more cautious about the material they publish, leading to more sanitized work — a homogenization of literature.

Trigger warnings could also lead to censorship on school or library shelves. In a time of rampant book bans, a bold book that addresses critical topics for youth (think fatphobia, dating abuse, or bullying) could be taken down based solely on its trigger warnings.

Of course, there is the argument proposed by many educators: that this type of literary climate can also prevent complex topics from being discussed. In essence, trigger warnings could push individuals away from challenging books that would actually help to better their mental health — or society itself.

But Do Trigger Warnings Help?

You’ll notice a lot of these conversations occurred nearly a decade ago. After all this time, do we have proof that trigger warnings help?

An analysis by researchers at the College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work at Flinders University says trigger warnings may do more harm than good. Some studies even note that such warnings can cause anticipatory anxiety. From the initial wave of studies conducted, it seems like trigger warnings may themselves be in danger.

Conversely, some individuals, primarily teachers and students who deal with diverse materials as part of their curriculum, note that trigger warnings can be helpful in the classroom — for student and educator. The Harvard Crimson published an article from a student’s perspective that examines the results of the above studies and their “overstated” results.

While some may be quick to point to a published study, one study is not the end-all-be-all for a debate. Trigger warnings are a nuanced topic, with proponents and critics positioned to argue for the foreseeable future.

Insights from Authors

To better understand how trigger warnings can affect authors, we gathered insights from several writers who have faced this challenge.

Alex Kazemi, author of New Millennium Boyz, remarked, "I just don't understand how we could have that level of censorship for literature... the internet is so accessible to everyone and is so uncensored."

Margaret Atwood, the acclaimed author of The Handmaid's Tale, has also weighed in on the issue, stating, "Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. Trigger warnings may protect some, but they also risk shielding us from the very truths we need to confront."

Neil Gaiman, renowned for his works in fantasy and horror, added, "Stories are meant to make us think, feel, and question the world around us. Imposing too many restrictions through warnings can dilute the power of literature."

Trigger Warnings vs. The Internet

Those who favor trigger warnings will point out that publishers alone can no longer obtain complete censorship — thanks, in part, to the internet. Independent authors garner plenty of attention without traditional publishers, using predominantly digital means.

For those concerned about trigger warnings causing mass censorship and homogenizing literature, thanks to the internet, that may never be the case.

Perhaps there is a credible threat of the publishing industry homogenizing itself, but there will likely always be other options for writers and readers.

The Freedom to Create

Other writers may not find it so easy. But for some, divorcing your creative process from how the work will be received is crucial.

And that’s the important thing, isn’t it? Whether you believe trigger warnings are a proactive means of protecting readers or are concerned about potential censorship, we hope you sit down to write today.