Child gun deaths and fatal drug poisonings skyrocketed over past decade, researchers find

Fatal injury rates have spiked over the past decade for children and teens in the U.S., especially deaths involving guns and drugs, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics Thursday.

Using injury data for children under age 18 from 2011 to 2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found firearm fatalities increased by 87.1% during that time period. Drug poisoning fatalities increased by 133.3%, and suffocation-related fatalities increased by 12.5%.

"Recent trends in pediatric injury-related fatalities are alarming, with increases in homicides, suicides, and poisonings in the past decade," the authors write.

Nonfatal firearm and poison-related injuries also increased — up 113.1% and 9.9%, respectively.

At the same time, the rates of nonfatal injuries within the same age group decreased in several other categories from 2011 to 2020, including a 52.8% decline in injuries from falls and a 47.3% decrease in motor vehicle occupant injuries. Injuries from drownings stayed the about same.