Flinders University study finds 90pc of participants ignore trigger warnings – including those with mental health risks
Trigger warnings can have the opposite effect to their intent as a ‘forbidden fruit effect’ tempts even the mentally vulnerable, Australian research has found.
Trigger warnings punctuate every social media scroll, but new research finds they do little to deter the people they are supposedly protecting.
A fresh Flinders University study of 261 young people found nearly 90 per cent of participants who saw a trigger warning still chose to view the content.
Lead author Dr Victoria Bridgland described trigger warnings as having a “forbidden fruit effect”, finding even those with mental health risks were not deterred by trigger warnings, but sections of society still cling on to the ineffective practice.
“Trigger warnings seem to foster a ‘forbidden fruit’ effect for many people whereby when something is off-limits, it often becomes more tempting,” Dr Bridgland said.
“This may be because negative or disturbing information tends to stand out and feel more valuable or unique compared to everyday information.”
Dr Bridgland said her study found those with higher levels of anxiety, depression or PTSD were no more likely to avoid content marked with a trigger warning.
In fact, Dr Bridgland said while curiosity was the main driver, some respondents even reported viewing content to “self-trigger” traumatic experiences or events.
“There were some niche comments from people with mental health problems who said they deliberately seek out content that triggers their mental health concerns,” the psychology lecturer said.
“However, 10 per cent of people still reported they avoid content with trigger warnings.
“Trigger warnings are widely used across social media platforms and educational institutions, often with the best intentions.
“But our research shows that their impact may be quite different from what people expect. If most individuals are approaching the content anyway, and vulnerable groups aren’t avoiding it more than others, then we need to reconsider how and why we use these warnings.”
Dr Bridgland suggested more effective measures educators can use when discussing distressing content, given what she points to as decades of research demonstrating the ineffectiveness of trigger warnings.
“I will often teach my students about the ineffectiveness of trigger warnings while offering resources and tangible things they can do to deal with distressing content,” she said.
“It’s about tangible measures that are going to make people feel better as trigger warnings are not helping.”
Dr Bridgland said she had observed feedback to her findings online which indicate a vocal group still cling on to trigger warnings.
“People vehemently defend them even though the evidence consistently suggests they do not work,” she said.
“There is a feeling in society that if were warned about something that’s better than not being warned. It comes down to the bedrock of informed consent and the feeling of autonomy it gives individuals.”
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Originally published as Flinders University study finds 90pc of participants ignore trigger warnings – including those with mental health risks
