Fear of concussion could be keeping Aussie kids out of sport

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-03-27 00:01

Australia; VIC

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Many Australian parents aren't confident they can identify and manage a concussion in their child, according to Australian research which found it's common for parents to prevent their kids participating in certain sports and activities out of fear of concussion. The researchers surveyed 1953 parents about their knowledge and confidence around concussion, and found about one in three felt they had very little knowledge about concussion while one in five felt they would have difficulty recognising the signs of concussion in their child, and one in five reported low confidence in managing a child's recovery from concussion. The researchers say parents reported concerns about letting their child play sports, and nearly one in three children aged 4+ in the sample had been stopped from playing a contact sport while one in five had been stopped from non-contact sport or other 'risky' activities such as riding a bike or playing in a park. The researchers say inactivity is also a major health risk for children, so public health strategies should consider ways to safely build parent confidence around concussion safety to make sure kids aren't missing out on important physical activity.