Children - Research and Data from KFF

KFF/Washington Post Poll Looks at Parents’ Trust in Children’s Health Content on Social Media, And Unfounded Claims About Abortion Pill Safety Follow FDA Approval of Generic Version – The Monitor

Oct 23, 2025

Feature

This volume shares findings from the KFF/The Washington Post Survey of Parents about exposure to and trust in children’s health content on social media, along with misleading claims following the approval of a generic version of mifepristone, reports of autism possibly being added to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and patients using AI chatbots to interpret lab results.

How Schools Have Responded to the Youth Fentanyl Crisis

Oct 28, 2025

Issue Brief

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths due to drug overdose among adolescents more than doubled, primarily driven by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl. National survey data show that while the percent of adolescents (ages 12-17) with a past year substance use disorder decreased from 2021 to 2024, the share of adolescents with a past year opioid use disorder remained stable over the same period. Additionally, less than one-third of adolescents with a past year opioid use…

Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for Major Medicaid Policy Changes

Apr 30, 2026

Report

The 24th annual survey of state Medicaid and CHIP program officials conducted by KFF and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) provides a baseline of state Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, and renewal policies in place as of January 2026 as they prepare to implement the changes included in the 2025 reconciliation law.

Vaccination Coverage Among Children Age 35 Months

Apr 23, 2026

State Health Facts Indicator

The New Federal Vaccine Schedule for Children: What Changed and What Are the Implications?

Jan 9, 2026

Policy Watch

This brief looks at newly announced changes by HHS to the pediatric vaccination schedule, which reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children. Implications of these changes for childhood vaccination rates and trust in public health are discussed.

Percent of Children (ages 0-17) Who had Both a Medical and Dental Preventive Care Visit in the Past 12 Months

Jan 23, 2026

State Health Facts Indicator

A Look at State Efforts to Ban Cellphones in Schools and Implications for Youth Mental Health

Sep 5, 2024

Issue Brief

Education leaders and policymakers are turning to cellphone bans in schools to help address youth mental health concerns and improve learning, an idea that has largely received bipartisan support. Cellphone ban legislation has had a resurgence following advisories from the U.S. Surgeon General on youth mental health and the impacts of social media. Research on the effectiveness of these bans, however, is limited, and challenges with implementation and enforcement remain.

Child and Teen Firearm Mortality in the U.S. and Peer Countries

Jul 18, 2023

Issue Brief

Firearms were responsible for 20 percent of all child and teen deaths in the U.S. for both 2020 and 2021, compared to an average of less than 2 percent in similarly large and wealthy nations. This puts the U.S. far ahead of peer nations in child and teen firearm deaths.

Teens, Drugs, and Overdose: Contrasting Pre-Pandemic and Current Trends

Oct 15, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief analyzes the latest CDC data on adolescent overdose deaths, finding that from 2022 to 2023, there was a small reduction in overdose fatalities among adolescents (from 721 to 708 deaths). Additionally, the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has largely driven the increase in adolescent drug fatalities since the pandemic began, accounting for 76% of these fatalities in 2023. This analysis also explores federal and state policy responses to the drug crisis, such as requirements to…

10 Things to Know About Medicaid

Feb 18, 2025

Issue Brief

At the start of 2025, many issues are at play that will affect Medicaid coverage, financing, and access to care. While Medicaid was not discussed much on the campaign trail, Congress may consider big changes as part of tax and spending debates and the Trump administration may make changes to Medicaid through executive actions. Amid the potential changes, this brief highlights ten key things to know about Medicaid.

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