CHILD'S PLAY

Stark Rise in Number of U.S. Kids Taking Weight Loss Jabs

The newest teen trend isn’t on TikTok—it’s in the pharmacy aisle.

The weight loss drug Wegovy has only been on the US market for teenage use (ages 12 and older) since late 2022, but there has already been a sharp rise in prescriptions across the country. The semaglutide injectable in 2024 saw a 50% increase in usage among the age group, according to a 2024 study of over 1.2 million teens. But it still represents a very small proportion of candidates who could qualify for it—per obesity statistics, 22.2% of children classified as obese are adolescents aged 12 to 19. That’s around 3.2 individuals. Though it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, according to Reuters, Wegovy is most often used for teens as a last resort after “conventional approaches of diet, exercise and counseling (have) failed,” and an extra boost is needed. (Other popular weight loss drugs are not authorized for use in children.) At Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, 2,000 adolescent patients with weight issues were treated in 2024; Reuters highlighted that, of the 500 prescribed a GLP-1 medication, patients lost an average of 15 pounds over six months to a year—and double that after more than a year.