A lie! Or more exactly a clickbait. Actually even this research claims the opposite - plants do improve indoor air quality: "The central finding is that the natural or ventilation air exchange rates in indoor environments, like homes and offices, dilutes concentrations of volatile organic compounds—the air pollution that plants are allegedly cleaning—much faster than plants can extract them from the air." That means, that there exists even better way to clean indoor air, than cleaning effect of indoor plants. There is no proof to the claim from the headline. I consider scientists, who sell their research under such untrue headlines as liers.
The study Junglekeeper shared is hardly clickbait. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait If someone asked me which I think more quickly dilutes concentrations of volatile organic compounds in homes and offices - potted plants or ventilation - I would guess ventilation. Of course the size and number of plants and size of the space would be among a number of variables to consider. Still, it seems common sense to me that air exchange, whether from air conditioning or an open window would be more time-efficient. But then, I'm no scientist. The review cited apparently looked at 12 published studies of chamber experiments and acknowledged the need for future experiments. Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies While scientists are not always correct, they should they be considered liars when they're wrong.
This headline is definitely a clickbait. Clickbait - Wikipedia: "Click-bait headlines add an element of dishonesty, using enticements that do not accurately reflect the content being delivered" This headline is as wrong/misleading as the following sample, constructed by myself: "Torpedoes and sea mines are not posing a threat for ships" (because direct nuclear strike would cause faster demise). Or "Stairs are not usable at all" (because using an elevator is usually much faster). Common sense is not to deny an effect if it really exists, although there may be more effective alternatives.
