Krystal Gagen-Spriggs, Kit Kavanagh-Ryan, Kasey Garrison

In an era of rising book challenges and heightened public scrutiny of school and library collections, educators and librarians are increasingly tasked with a difficult balancing act. How do we support a young person’s right to read and intellectual freedom while simultaneously upholding a duty of care regarding the developmental levels of the young people we serve?

This tension was at the heart of a recent presentation at the 2026 Children’s Voices Conference by Kasey Garrison, Kit Kavanagh-Ryan, and Krystal Gagen-Spriggs. In this presentation, we shared insights into a timely, yet often overlooked element of the reading experience: content warnings in young adult (YA) literature.

Defining the Landscape

To understand the research, we must first define the parameters. YA literature, often tricky to categorise, is best understood as a mix of audience description (books read by teens), subject matter (books about teens), and publisher marketing (Cadden et al., 2020). What this means for our sample is that only texts explicitly marketed to 12-to-18-year-olds, distinct from “middle grade” or “new adult” categories, were included.

This study specifically investigated “peritext,” which is defined as the physical packaging and non-narrative elements of a book, such as covers, chapter headings, and prefaces (Genette, 1997; Gross & Lantham, 2017). One of our key questions for this research was the level to which peritext dictates whether a reader chooses to engage with a work in the first place.

The Rise of Content Warnings

The impetus for the study was clear: headlines regarding book bans and challenges have increasingly made global news (Cassidy, 2024; Loffhagen, 2026; Wells, 2025). Data from the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (2026) shows that 2023 and 2025 were historic highs for book challenges in the United States. With public and school libraries on the front lines, the need for tools to navigate these sensitive choices has never been greater.

The research team analysed a set of 70 physical books from the International Literacy Association (n.d.) YA book award submissions to see how, or if, content warnings were being utilised. Of the original 70 books, 15 of these titles were identified as including some form of explicit content warning before the narrative began, which meant we had a sample size of 15 books to analyse.

Findings: A Lack of Standardisation

One of the most striking findings of the study was the lack of a standardized format for these warnings. Instead, the approach varied wildly depending on the author’s intent and the book’s context. The researchers categorized these warnings into a few distinct styles:

• Personalised Addresses: Many authors used the first person, employing phrases like “Dear Reader” or personal notes encouraging the reader to consider their own comfort levels.
• Explicit Labels: Other titles used more direct, formal language, such as “Content Warning” or “Please be advised,” followed by a list of potential triggers.
• Support Resources: Some warnings included direct links to helplines or websites, reinforcing to the reader that they are not alone and that support is available.

When analysing the themes within these warnings, we utilised an existing typology developed by Charles et al. (2025), adapted for literature. We found significant overlap in themes, with mental health, stigma, and violence appearing frequently. We also noticed that these categories often bled into one another, making it complex to label them distinctly.

Implications: Agency and the Future of Reading

While the study provided a fascinating look at the current state of YA peritext, we must emphasise that content warnings are not merely about “blocking” content. Rather, they are about agency (Garrison, 2026; Gross & Lantham, 2017). By providing a “heads up,” authors and publishers invite young readers to make informed decisions about their own reading experiences. For us as researchers, our biggest point of reflection centred on whether content warnings support young adults to consider their own agency when reading books, including why they choose to read or why they stop reading. Crucially, a next step for this research is to engage with the voices of the readers themselves. While we have identified how content warnings appear in print, we are eager to explore how young people actually use these warnings and whether they truly increase the reader’s efficacy and agency.

As the industry continues to grapple with the complexities of access and care, this research serves as a foundational step. It suggests that, rather than being a tool for censorship, thoughtful content warnings may actually be a vital mechanism for empowering young readers to navigate the diverse, sometimes challenging, landscape of modern literature.

References

American Library Association. (2026, April 20). American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List as National Library Week Begins. [Media Release]. https://www.ala.org/news/2026/04/american-library-association-releases-2025-most-challenged-books-list-national-library

American Library Association, Office of Intellectual Freedom. (2026). Banned & Challenged Books. https://www.ala.org/bbooks

Cadden, M., Coats, K., Trites, R. S.  (2020). Teaching young adult literature (M. Cadden, K. Coats, & R. S. Trites, Eds.). The Modern Language Association of America.

Cassidy, C. (2024, May 7). Sydney council bans same-sex parenting books from libraries for ‘safety of our children’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/07/sydney-council-bans-same-sex-parenting-books-from-libraries-for-safety-of-our-children

Charles, A., Hare-Duke, L., Nudds, H., Franklin, D., Llewellyn-Beardsley, J., Rennick-Egglestone, S., Gust, O., Ng, F., Evans, E., Knox, E., Townsend, E., Yeo, C., & Slade, M. (2022). Typology of content warnings and trigger warnings: Systematic review. PLoS ONE, 17(5), 1-14. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266722

Garrison, K.L. (2026). Reflections and actions: Discontent around content warnings. Synergy, 24(1). https://www.slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/954/958

Genette, G. (1997). Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation. Cambridge University Press.

Gross, M., & Lantham, D. (2017). The peritextual literacy framework: Using the functions of peritext to support critical thinking. Library & Information Science Research, 39(2), 116-123. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740818816301190?via%3Dihub#s0020

International Literacy Association. (n.d.) Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-involved/awards-recognition/awards-grants/ila-children’s-and-young-adults’-book-awards

Loffhagen, E. (2026, April 23).  US saw record high of 5,668 books banned in libraries in 2025, says agency. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/22/us-libraries-banned-books

Wells, I. (2025, March 2). Book Banning in Canada Is Quiet, Systemic, and More Effective than Ever. The Walrus.  https://thewalrus.ca/book-banning/