Doctors group releases new drowning prevention recommendations

The new recommendations come ahead of the summer swimming season.

By
Yi-Jin Yu
via
May 18, 2026, 11:34 AM ET
4 min read

A pediatricians group has released new guidelines to prevent drownings ahead of the summer swimming season.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations Monday, saying the update addresses "widening disparities in fatal pediatric drowning rates based on race and ethnicity."

The new recommendations come after an 18-year-old died in an apparent drowning while swimming with friends on Saturday in Shelter Island, New York, according to a news release from the Shelter Island Police Department.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4. About 4,000 people in the U.S. die from drowning each year, the agency states.

Drowning incidents among certain racial groups tend to be higher as well, with Black people under 30 more than 1.5 times as likely to drown as white people under 30, and American Indian and Alaska Native people under 30 twice as likely to drown as their white counterparts, according to the CDC.

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The AAP notes that among children and youth, drowning has the highest case-fatality rate, 13%, after firearm injuries.

In the U.S., drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury or death in kids ages 5 through 14 years old, after motor vehicle injuries and deaths, the AAP states.

"Toddlers are at the highest risk of drowning, as they can escape without notice even under the best of circumstances," Dr. Rohit P. Shenoi, lead author of the new recommendations, said in a statement. "Adolescents are also especially vulnerable since they may overestimate their swimming skills, misjudge the seriousness of water hazards, or engage in risky and impulsive behaviors."

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The new recommendations highlight six key points for parents and caregivers to keep in mind.

  • Be aware of drowning hazards and supervise children in, on, and around water. Young children should never be left alone or with other kids in or near bathtubs, pools, spas, or in or near flowing or standing water, even momentarily.
  • A supervising adult with swimming skills should always be within arm's length of kids and provide touch supervision for an infant, toddler, or weak swimmer who is in or around water.  
  • Children should receive swimming lessons as early as after their first birthday. There is no evidence that infant swim lessons reduce drowning incidents.
  • Children near water, non-swimmers, and those riding on boats should wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and adults should model their use. 
  • Fencing requirements, life jacket regulations, lifeguard standards, and safe natural-water designations and other related laws and regulations are proven strategies to reduce drowning deaths.  
  • Caregivers and teenagers should learn CPR and know how to perform safe rescue.

    • Editor's note: This article was updated with confirmation from the Shelter Island Police Department regarding an apparent drowning incident in Shelter Island, New York.