Ozempic for Kids? What Parents Should Know About GLP-1 Drugs

Ozempic itself is not approved for anyone under 18. But two GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Wegovy and Saxenda, are FDA-approved for teens 12 and older with obesity, and several GLP-1 drugs are approved for type 2 diabetes starting at age 10. None is approved for weight loss in children under 12, yet prescriptions for that age group are climbing fast.

Here is what the current FDA labels say:

Using one of these drugs outside its approved age or purpose is called off-label use. The FDA says doctors generally may prescribe off-label when they judge it medically appropriate, but the agency "has not determined that the drug is safe and effective for the unapproved use."

In January 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its first full guideline on childhood obesity. It said doctors "should offer adolescents ages 12 years and older with obesity weight loss pharmacotherapy," based on each drug's risks and benefits, "as an adjunct to health behavior and lifestyle treatment."

The AAP said the most effective lifestyle programs involve 26 or more hours of face-to-face, family-based treatment over 3 to 12 months. It also said there is no evidence that "watchful waiting" is appropriate for children with obesity.

The guideline has critics. A 2025 analysis in The BMJ said it "should be interpreted with caution," citing financial ties between GLP-1 makers and people involved in the guideline process. The authors noted that the guideline also says doctors "may" offer medication to children 8 to 11, while the UK, Sweden and Australia advise against weight-loss drugs under 12 except in exceptional circumstances. AAP CEO Mark Del Monte has said that "AAP recommendations are scientifically sound, clinically relevant, and free from undue influence."

In the main Wegovy trial for teens, 201 kids ages 12 to 17 got weekly shots or a placebo for 68 weeks, plus lifestyle counseling. BMI dropped 16.1% on the drug and rose 0.6% on placebo. About 73% on the drug lost at least 5% of their weight, versus 18% on placebo.

A 2020 trial of liraglutide in teens showed a smaller benefit. After kids stopped the drug, their BMI scores rose more than in the placebo group, a sign that weight tended to come back.

A trial in children 6 to 11, published in 2024, found BMI fell 5.8% on liraglutide and rose 1.6% on placebo after 56 weeks.

Keep two things in mind. All three trials were funded by the drug's maker, Novo Nordisk. And none lasted longer than about a year and a half, so they cannot tell you what years of use do to a growing body.

Stomach problems are the most common. In the teen Wegovy trial, 42% on the drug had nausea versus 18% on placebo, and 36% vomited versus 10%.

The Wegovy label says teens on the drug had more gallstones, gallbladder inflammation, low blood pressure, rash and hives than adults did. In the teen trial, 3.8% developed gallstones, compared with none on placebo. Wegovy also carries a boxed warning: it caused thyroid tumors in rodents, and it is unknown whether that happens in people.

Nutrient gaps are a newer concern. A 2026 study from Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, published in Childhood Obesity, looked at insurance records for 2,031 kids ages 10 to 17 who started a GLP-1. Within a year, 16.8% were diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency. Vitamin D was the most common, at 12.4%. Only 5% got nutrition counseling in the first 30 days.

That study shows how often deficiencies were diagnosed, not that the drugs caused them. Many of the kids also had type 2 diabetes. Still, senior author Justin Ryder said vitamin D, iron and calcium "are of particular concern during adolescence."

What about mood? In January 2026, the FDA asked makers of Wegovy, Saxenda and Zepbound to remove a warning about suicidal thoughts after reviewing data, including 91 clinical trials, that showed no increased risk. That announcement did not single out children. The FDA still says to tell a doctor about new or worsening depression.

Yes, and more often. A study from NYU Langone, published in Pediatrics in September 2026, found that GLP-1 prescriptions for children 8 to 11 with obesity were 310 times higher in June 2026 than in 2019. The overall number is still small.

Most of those children, 93.7%, had severe obesity. Kids in higher-income areas were 55% more likely to get a prescription. Lead author Dr. Babak Orandi called careful use "a valuable tool" and said long-term monitoring of these children is needed.

Healthy, Again. is health news, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing any medicine or supplement.