“Harmful to Minors” : How Book Bans Hurt Adolescent Development

The following article analyzes the current wave of book bans in the United States of America. Book banning has a long history; the modern predominant focus on young people's reading materials grew around fifty years ago with the increased publication of realistic depictions of the lived experiences, identities, and personhoods of children and young people. Nonetheless, the current form of censorship is different: bigger, more politicized, and more targeted at those living with marginalized identities, particularly people of color and those with LGBTQ+ identities. This article argues that book banning places a unique burden on adolescent development and is particularly harmful to those living with marginalized identities.