A parent watching their child play contact sports from the sideline — informed sports parents make better decisions about brain injury and concussion risk

My Child Plays Contact Sports. Should I Worry About Brain Injury?

Published by Robbins Nest Alliance | Brain Injury Education for Caregivers and Families

If you have a child in sports, you have probably asked this question — quietly, on the drive home from a game, or at 2am after reading something that scared you. Should I be worried?

The honest answer is: not panic-worried. But informed-worried. There is a difference, and that difference matters enormously for how you show up for your child athlete.

This article is written for parents — not for coaches, not for athletic trainers, not for neurologists. For the person sitting in the bleachers who loves their kid and wants to know what is actually true about head injuries in youth sports, without the fear-mongering and without the minimizing.

Here is what the research actually says.

You Are Not Alone in This Worry

First, know this: your concern is well-founded and widely shared.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Athletic Training surveyed 452 parents of youth athletes aged 8 to 14 playing high-risk contact sports. Nearly three-quarters — 73.2% — found the idea of their child sustaining a concussion upsetting. More than 61% admitted to feeling fearful about it. Only 4.6% of parents said they were not worried at all (Beidler et al., 2024).

You are in the overwhelming majority. And your worry is appropriate — not because youth sports are inherently dangerous, but because head injuries in young athletes are real, underreported, and too often minimized by everyone except the parents who are watching.

What the Numbers Actually Tell Us

Sport-related concussions affect an estimated 300,000 children and adolescents in the United States annually — and that number likely undercounts the real total because many concussions go unreported or unrecognized (PMC7216205).

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine — Open reviewed 116 studies on sports-related concussion incidence in young athletes under 18. The findings confirmed what most sports parents already sense: concussion risk varies significantly by sport, age, sex, and level of contact — with contact sports carrying substantially higher rates (Clifton et al., 2025, PMC11992322).

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its 2024 update to the Amsterdam Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, confirmed that prevention strategies do work — including properly fitted mouthguards, policies against bodychecking in youth hockey, and neuromuscular training in rugby (Pediatrics, 2024).

The research also confirms something important for parents to hear: you can reduce risk without eliminating sports entirely. That is the goal — not fear, but informed action.

Watch this first — it's the story of Jason, a young athlete whose concussion was overlooked, and what his family wishes they had known:

What Parents Most Often Get Wrong

A 2022 study published in Concussion journal found that while parents scored an average of 76% accuracy on factual concussion knowledge, significant gaps remained — particularly around the absence of loss of consciousness, return-to-play decisions, and the cumulative effects of repeated hits (Roberts et al., 2022, PMC9008503).

Here are the most common things parents misunderstand:

Myth 1: "They didn't lose consciousness, so it's probably fine."

False. Loss of consciousness occurs in fewer than 10% of concussions. The absence of blacking out does not mean no brain injury occurred. Many significant concussions involve no loss of consciousness at all. If your child took a hard hit and seems confused, slow, emotional, or "off" — that is a concussion until proven otherwise.

Myth 2: "They said they feel okay."

Young athletes notoriously underreport symptoms — sometimes because of team culture, sometimes because they genuinely don't connect what they're feeling to the hit. A 2020 study found that creating a culture where kids can report symptoms without stigma is one of the most effective concussion prevention strategies available. That culture starts with you, at home, before the season begins.

Myth 3: "One concussion isn't that big a deal."

It depends. A single, properly managed concussion that is given full recovery time before return to play carries a different risk profile than a single concussion that is minimized, rushed through recovery, or followed by another hit before the brain heals. The danger is not always the first injury — it is what happens after it. Read more about this in our article Concussion vs Brain Injury: What's the Difference?

Myth 4: "Small hits don't add up to anything serious."

This is the one that most concerns neurologists. Research has increasingly shown that subconcussive hits — impacts below the threshold of a diagnosed concussion — may cause cumulative structural changes to the brain over time. A study by Stern and colleagues found that NFL players who started playing football before age 12 had significantly worse cognitive and behavioral symptoms than those who started after age 12 (as cited in PMC5935436). Read more: Do Repeated Hits to the Head Cause Long-Term Brain Damage?

The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have: CTE and Young Athletes

CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma. It has been found in NFL players, hockey players, boxers, military veterans, and athletes in contact sports at all levels.

It cannot be diagnosed in a living person. It is confirmed only through post-mortem brain examination. This means we cannot tell any parent definitively whether their child is or is not at risk.

What we can tell you is that the research points clearly to repeated head impacts — not any single catastrophic injury — as the mechanism driving CTE pathology. And that the earlier exposure begins, the greater the concern.

This does not mean every youth football player will develop CTE. Most will not. But it does mean that the question "should I be worried?" has a more complex answer than "no."

For more on how CTE actually starts in contact sports, read: How Repeated Head Impacts Can Lead to CTE and Repetitive Head Impacts in Contact Sports: Cumulative Exposure and CTE Risk

What to Watch For: Symptoms Every Sports Parent Should Know

Concussion symptoms in children and adolescents can look different from adults. Watch for:

  • Headache or pressure in the head
  • Confusion or feeling "foggy"
  • Dizziness or balance problems
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Memory problems — including not remembering the hit
  • Mood changes, irritability, crying more than usual
  • Sleep changes — sleeping more or inability to sleep
  • Declining grades or difficulty concentrating at school
  • Behavioral changes that seem out of character

In children especially: behavioral and emotional changes are often the first signs parents notice — and the ones most easily dismissed as "just being tired" or "being dramatic." Trust your instincts. You know your child.

See our full guide: 6 Early Signs of Brain Injury Families Often Notice First

When to Go to the Emergency Room Immediately

  • Loss of consciousness, even briefly
  • Repeated vomiting
  • Seizures
  • One pupil larger than the other
  • Extreme drowsiness or cannot be awakened
  • Worsening headache
  • Slurred speech
  • Increasing confusion

Do not wait. Do not finish the game. Go.

What To Do Right Now — A Parent Action Plan

Before the Season

  • Have a direct conversation with your child about reporting symptoms. Make it clear that telling you about a headache will never cost them their position.
  • Know your league's concussion protocol. Ask the coach directly. If there isn't one, that is important information.
  • Make sure equipment fits properly — particularly helmets. An ill-fitting helmet significantly increases concussion risk.
  • Establish care now. Know which urgent care or pediatric neurologist you will call if something happens.

If a Head Injury Happens

  • Remove from play immediately. No same-day return. No exceptions.
  • Seek medical evaluation from a provider familiar with concussion management.
  • Follow return-to-learn and return-to-play protocols. These are graduated, stepwise processes — not a single clearance date.
  • Tell every teacher and school counselor. Cognitive rest matters as much as physical rest.
  • If there is a history of prior concussion or TBI, tell every provider. This changes the clinical picture significantly.

Know What Questions to Ask

Read our guide: 12 Questions to Ask After a Brain Injury Diagnosis

The Bottom Line for Sports Parents

Youth sports are worth it. The research on the benefits of physical activity, team participation, and structured competition for children and adolescents is compelling and real. We are not here to tell you to pull your child off the field.

We are here to tell you that informed parents change outcomes. That the parent who knows the warning signs, who creates a culture of honest reporting at home, who doesn't pressure a recovering child back onto the field — that parent is protecting their child's brain in a way that no helmet alone can.

You asked the right question. Now you have better answers.

Related Reading from Robbins Nest Alliance

Resources

Citations

  • Beidler, et al. (2024). Anxiety-Related Concussion Perceptions of Parents of Youth Athletes. Journal of Athletic Training. DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0579.23.
  • Clifton, et al. (2025). The Incidence of Sports-Related Concussion in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine — Open. PMC11992322.
  • Meehan, et al. (2024). Pediatric Sport-Related Concussion: Recommendations From the Amsterdam Consensus Statement 2023. Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics.
  • Roberts, et al. (2022). Parent knowledge of and attitudes towards youth sport-related concussion. Concussion. PMC9008503.
  • PMC5935436. Parent Knowledge and Perceptions of Concussion Related to Youth Football.
  • PMC7216205. A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Concussion Education Programs for Coaches and Parents of Youth Athletes.

Robbins Nest Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing peer-reviewed brain injury education for caregivers and families. We are not a medical provider. This content is for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and treatment.

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