A CDC’s August 2025 report, Comparing Head Impacts in Youth Tackle and Flag Football, reiterates five key recommendations stated in 2021: expand flag football programs, reduce contact practices, enforce helmet-to-head penalties, teach proper tackling techniques, and provide comprehensive safety education. The research shows youth tackle players sustain 15 times more head impacts than flag football athletes.

These findings echo longstanding government concerns about youth football safety, that this website has noted since 2018. While the CDC’s rules remain sound, the persistence of these same conclusions suggests it may be time for more decisive action to accelerate the adoption of safer practices nationwide. (Some have recommended regulatory standards, funding incentives, or policy mandates, but others note concerns about overreach.)

Comparing Head Impacts in Youth Tackle and Flag Football (8/4/25): https://www.cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/data-research/comparing-head-impacts/index.html#cdc_report_pub_study_section_2-more-efforts-needed-to-prevent-head-impacts-during-youth-football-games