GLP-1 Drugs for Children Under 12: Trial Results, Prescribing Trends and FDA Limits

Can a child under 12 take Wegovy, Saxenda or another GLP-1 for weight loss? In the US, no GLP-1 is FDA-approved for weight management in children younger than 12. Saxenda and the Wegovy injection are approved from age 12, and Zepbound only for adults.^[5][6][7] But the first randomized trial in younger children has now been published. In SCALE Kids, liraglutide lowered BMI by 7.4 percentage points more than placebo in 6- to 11-year-olds with obesity.^[1] And prescribing to 8- to 11-year-olds has risen sharply, though it is still uncommon.^[2] Here is what parents should know.

The short answer

• Not approved under 12. Saxenda (liraglutide) is approved for “pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with body weight greater than 60 kg and obesity,” and the Wegovy injection for “pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity.” For Zepbound, “safety and effectiveness … have not been established in pediatric patients.”^[5][6][7]
• One randomized trial in 6- to 11-year-olds. SCALE Kids (82 children, 56 weeks) found BMI fell 5.8% on liraglutide and rose 1.6% on placebo.^[1]
• Side effects were common. 80% of children on liraglutide had gastrointestinal side effects, against 54% on placebo.^[1]
• Long-term evidence is missing. A 2026 Cochrane review found evidence in children “scant,” with open questions about growth and what happens after stopping.^[3]

What the FDA labels say

For teenagers, see our guides on GLP-1s for adolescents aged 12–17 and Wegovy for teenagers.

The SCALE Kids trial (NEJM, 2025)

SCALE Kids randomly assigned 82 children aged 6 to under 12 with obesity to daily liraglutide (56) or placebo (26) for 56 weeks, both alongside lifestyle intervention. It was funded by Novo Nordisk, which makes Saxenda.^[1]

One result surprises many parents: body weight still went up on liraglutide, by 1.6%, compared with 10.0% on placebo.^[1] Because children are still growing taller, the trial's main outcome was BMI, which accounts for height, rather than weight alone. Adverse events of any kind were similar between groups (89% vs 88%), but stomach side effects were more common with the drug.^[1]

How often are young children being prescribed GLP-1s?

A 2026 Pediatrics study of more than 3.5 million US children aged 8 to 11 with obesity and no diabetes found that 0.6% had received a GLP-1 prescription. The authors note that “clinical practice guidelines for pediatric obesity management allow for consideration” of GLP-1 drugs in this age group. Prescribing “increased sharply from 2019 to 2026 yet remained uncommon.”^[2]

Prescriptions were more likely for 11-year-olds than 8-year-olds, for girls than boys, and for children with obesity-related health problems (188.9 per 10,000). They were also more likely in less socially vulnerable areas, suggesting unequal access. The authors concluded that “clinicians appear to be reserving GLP-1RAs for those at greatest cardiometabolic risk.”^[2]

What the reviews say

A 2026 Cochrane review of 37 trials of weight-loss medicines in children and adolescents found that medicines “may reduce” BMI by about 1.8 kg/m² compared with placebo, with low-certainty evidence. But only 8 of the 37 trials enrolled children (most enrolled only teenagers), so “evidence on desirable and undesirable effects in children is scant.” The reviewers flagged uncertainty about “the optimal duration of treatment, consequences of treatment discontinuation, and long-term benefits and harms, particularly considering the physiology of children and impact on growth.”^[3]

A 2026 JAMA Pediatrics network meta-analysis of 42 trials in 10- to 19-year-olds found that every medicine worked better when combined with lifestyle treatment, and that health-behavior and lifestyle treatment on its own also produced meaningful BMI reductions.^[4] Medication is an addition to lifestyle treatment, not a replacement for it.

Questions to ask your child's doctor

• Has my child completed, or can they join, a family-based lifestyle program?
• Does my child have obesity-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, prediabetes or fatty liver, that change the risk-benefit balance?
• Would this be off-label, and who will monitor growth, side effects and nutrition?
• What is the plan if treatment stops? In adults, most of the lost weight usually returns after stopping. See what happens when you stop a GLP-1.

Bottom line

No GLP-1 is FDA-approved for weight management in children under 12. One 56-week randomized trial shows liraglutide can lower BMI in 6- to 11-year-olds, at the cost of frequent stomach side effects, and a small but growing number of 8- to 11-year-olds are being prescribed these drugs, mostly those with obesity-related health problems. Long-term effects on growth and development are unknown. Any decision belongs with a pediatric specialist, as part of family-based treatment.