American parents are increasingly treating obese schoolchildren with GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, according to a report by The New York Post.
Researchers at Yale University in Connecticut estimate that nearly 17 million teenagers and young adults aged 12 to 25 in the United States currently meet the criteria for GLP-1 class drug therapy as the treatment trend gains momentum across the country.
GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic natural gut hormones to regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. Developed primarily for managing type 2 diabetes and chronic obesity in adults, medications containing active compounds like semaglutide have seen rapid growth in demand. However, their use in pediatric care remains relatively rare and widely debated within the medical community.
Jenna Ceriani, a mother living in Boston, Massachusetts, said she decided to start her son on GLP-1 injections after he suffered from weight-related health problems and faced constant bullying during football practice. Ceriani said she wanted her children to grow up healthy and avoid developing diabetes.
She added that her 14-year-old daughter also began receiving the therapy after experiencing metabolic disorders and becoming an extremely picky eater.
Parental decisions and social stigma
In Pennsylvania, a mother named Angela permitted her active teenage daughter to receive injections to treat an eating behaviour disorder rather than for weight loss alone. Angela said her daughter had spent years struggling with obsessive thoughts about food, despite repeated consultations with endocrinologists and nutritionists alongside extensive medical examinations.
Angela said she had tried to get to the root cause of her daughter's condition. Six weeks after beginning injections of Wegovy, her daughter stopped thinking about food as frequently. Angela added that if the medication helped establish healthier habits right now, she fully supported the therapy.
Parents interviewed by reporters stressed that they use the medications to treat chronic conditions in childhood before they turn into lifelong health burdens, rather than for aesthetic reasons. However, Ceriani noted that parents routinely conceal their children's GLP-1 treatments due to fear of negative public reactions, with critics on social media accusing parents of being lazy and taking an easy option.
Medical concerns and puberty risks
Medical professionals continue to view the growing trend with caution. Physicians warn that the potential impact of GLP-1 drugs on adolescent puberty and biological development has not yet been properly studied.
Dr. Amanda Kahn, a physician who regularly prescribes GLP-1 therapies to adult patients, expressed strong opposition to using such medications in teenagers. Kahn said adolescents represent a much more vulnerable population group.
Kahn explained that medical experts do not fully understand the long-term consequences of administering these drugs when they enter a developing body where hormonal levels and biological processes fluctuate sharply over time.
