former NFL players — whose years of hard hits are very different from the experience of kids playing youth football.
Plus, Munce says, today’s youth football is much different from years ago.
“I think what’s been left out of the public discourse is how the game is moving in the right direction,” he shares.
In a recent study, his team found signs that concussion awareness and new safety recommendations are making a difference. They followed one youth football team over the course of eight seasons, with the help of helmet-mounted impact monitors. During that time, kids’ head impacts — which can lead to concussion — dropped by 79%.
What’s the absolute concussion risk to kids?
At the high school level, boys’ tackle football carries the highest concussion rate, according to a 2018 AAP report. The rate is roughly 0.5 to 0.9 concussions for every 1,000 games and practices. (Next on the list was girls’ soccer, with a rate of 0.3 to 0.7 per 1,000.)
Figures from youth football are harder to gather, Munce says. Perhaps harder still for parents, he notes, is balancing injury risk against the many benefits kids get from playing team sports.
Limiting younger players to flag football may seem like a no-brainer: All the benefits with far fewer head impacts.
But, Munce says, some argue the delay in teaching proper tackling techniques could backfire: Bigger, harder-hitting high school athletes might end up with more concussions.
“The answer is, we just don’t know,” Munce adds.
Some also worry such delays would diminish players’ overall skills, Warner says.
“But,” she notes, “Tom Brady didn’t play tackle football until he was 14.”
Making an informed decision about youth football
Making a decision about whether or not to let your child play football can be a tough one, but considering the following may help:
- What is the right age for your child to participate in tackle football?
- What is the risk that your child will get a concussion?
- What sort of conditioning is suitable for children that are still developing?
- What are your expectations? (Will your child play in high school, college, the pros?)
- What is the right team/league for your child?
- What is your child getting out of playing football?