Commentary
It is easy to understand the desire to help those who are vulnerable or weaker than ourselves. Those with PTSD, for example, go through their days with a heavier burden than the rest of us. So when educators encounter material that might remind a traumatized student of a traumatic experience, why not provide a warning?
Good intentions, however, are not evidence. If a practice is supposed to protect vulnerable students, we should ask a simple question: Does it work?
A trigger warning is supposed to do three things. First, it is meant to be addressed to people considered particularly vulnerable. Second, it should alert them to an impending threat in the form of potentially distressing content. Third, it is supposed to benefit them. A warning that a film contains depictions of domestic violence, for example, is intended to help a psychologically vulnerable person prepare for, or avoid, what is coming….