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So, right in that meta-analysis, it was showing that all but one study they reviewed indicated that content warnings increased avoidance, and that in cases of avoidance anticipatory anxiety was slightly raised. Which makes sense, that’s what anxiety is. The analysis also showed that non-avoidance with a content warning did not improve anxiety responses through time to emotionally and mentally prepare for the content, compared to exposure without a content warning.
So… it gives people the choice to not engage, and offers a better outcome if you choose to not engage. Yeah, there’s more anxiety than if you didn’t come across the content warning (or content) at all, but it offers choice.
I think the how and when content warnings are used needs to be further refined and more uniformly applied, but this meta-analysis does not conclude “content warnings are a bane to society”.
“I bet this would look better in landscape, let me just turn my phone.” Phone refuses to orient properly, no matter how hard I try to shake it.
“Let me just browse Lemmy while I lay in bed on my side.” No matter how I orient the phone, it will be sure to change screen orientation as soon as I adjust to reading it that way.