How to Keep Your Child Safe from Brain Injuries in Sports

By Tegan Osborne

ABC Lifestyle

Topic: Parenting

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 4:30 am

All sports have some risks, but some have a higher risk of brain injuries.

When your child wants to play a sport, you need to think about many things as a parent.

Recently, there have been stories about a brain disease called CTE that affects players of high-impact sports, so keeping your child safe from head injuries is important.

Sports like Australian Rules, rugby union, and rugby league are popular in Australia, but they can be risky.

Sports are good for children's physical and mental health.

You want your child to enjoy sports while staying safe, so how can you do that?

Many children in Australia want to play Australian Football League (AFL).

Consider a non-contact version of the sport until your child is 14 years old.

Choosing the right sport for your child is a personal decision.

For children who want to play high-contact sports, a neurophysiologist recommends non-contact versions until they are 14 years old.

Alan Pearce studies head injuries in sports.

For example, if your child wants to play rugby, encourage them to play touch rugby.

If we keep children in modified sports until they are 14, we can reduce their risk of brain injuries.

If you or someone you know needs help:

CTE is a disease that happens when you have many head injuries.

We want parents to think about reducing the number of times their child's head is hit, even if it's not a big injury.

Children may not play sports as intensely as adults, but they can still have many head impacts.

Research shows that the number of head impacts, not concussions, increases the risk of CTE.

Isn't it important for children to learn skills for high-contact sports early?

A senior lecturer in sports science says it's reasonable to keep children out of high-contact sports until they are 14 years old.

Hunter Bennett says parents can reduce the risk of head injuries for their children.

Children who play many sports tend to be better at sports when they grow up.

If your child really wants to play a high-contact sport, they can try different versions of the sport or other sports and then switch to the high-contact sport later.

Dr. Pearce agrees that keeping children out of high-impact sports when they are young won't hurt their development.

Adam Goodes didn't start playing Australian Rules football until he was 16 and became one of the best players.

Children can learn sports quickly.

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