Unfortuntely, political and religious banning of bookshas been shown to be harmful in many ways, apart from inhibiting free speech and independant thought. Research shows it is bad for mental health, especially impacting:

Marginalized Individuals

People of colour's stories are within the majority of banned and challenged books. This leads to a higher risk of mental health issues and increases barriers, such as discrimination, stigma and socioeconomic barriers. LGBTQIA+ individuals are nearly three times as likely to develop and suffer mental health disorders, like depression and anxiety. With no access to stories of lived experiences and histories of marginalized groups, there is a harmful increase in feelings of exclusion, and invisibility. Without access to information relevant to their own personal exploration and learning, they cannot make an informed choice, or feel free to open and honest discussion.

CHILDREN AND TEENS

Young people require a developmental period of identity as they grow within society. With a strong focus on peer relationships, banning a diverse range of books robs them of the opportunity to have open dialogue and engage in critical thinking. Having a safe, supportive and understanding enviroment in which to ask questions and be open to their inner thoughts allows them access to truthful information. However, without access to this type of environment they will seek information in unmonoitored and unsafe sources, which is obviously dangerous.

LIBRARIANS AND SCHOOL STAFF

The harmful atmosphere of censorship increases metal health issues and stress especially when these professionals are confronted with confrontational and aggressive patrons. Unfortunately, this is reflected in the fact that libraries are now hiring support staff, namely social workers and security to deal with extremists.

AUTHORS

Book bans affect authors livelihoods, with censorship of their books, leading to no invitations from schools or libraries to share their narratives, lack of sales and the disadvantage of not being able to share their perspective. Another harmful effect is cruelty over social media with cyberbullying, which leads to anxiety and depression.

With over 1,600 books being banned featuring topics such as race, gender identity, and sexuality from public and school libraries in America alone, there is some push back, which has led to an increase of 12% circulations on average compared to similar non-banned titles in this current ban. In turn banned books with high visibility on social media saw increased readership, indicative of social media-driven political consumerism.

Without a diverse range of information, personal experiences and access for everyone to make informed and educated choices, we limit everyone's experience and choice to become their true self. We should not be accepting derision and hate against fellow human beings.