Shootings, Both Fatal and Nonfatal, and Drug Poisonings Skyrocketed in Children and Teens Over Past Decade

Firearm injuries recently became the number one killer of young people and teenagers, and new research, “Trends in Nonfatal and Fatal Injuries in Children,” in the November 2023 Pediatrics (available online October 5), uncovers some reasons for this trend. Researchers examined injury data for children under age 18 from 2011-2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found firearm fatalities in children increased by 87.1%. While firearms became more dangerous, cars became safer. The study found a 47.3% decrease in motor vehicle occupant injuries. By far the largest increase in fatal injuries, even higher than firearms, were drug poisoning fatalities, which increased by 133.3%. Similarly, nonfatal firearm and poison-related injuries also increased dramatically, up 113.1% and 9.9% respectively. The CDC data showed child fatal injury rates, in general, increased, while non-fatal injuries decreased, with some rare exceptions, like self-harm injuries, which were up 57.1%. Researchers speculate that the drop in nonfatal injuries may be due to recent public health interventions—for example, improved car booster seats paired with laws requiring their use and education campaigns to explain how booster seats improve car safety. Research brief authors concluded that this data shows trends in firearm and poison-related injury and death that indicate a need for public health efforts and stronger laws to address these rising threats to child health.

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.