about 4 in 10 of over 42 million Americans Those who receive advantages from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are children under 18 years of age. This dietary assistance helps their families buy groceries and promotes their health in some ways – during childhood and once they turn into adults.
I’m a Developmental psychologist Who studies how childhood stress and malnutrition affect children's mental and physical health, and the way these effects proceed into maturity.
Researchers like me are anxious 2025 Government shutdown disrupts SNAP benefits And the snap cuts included in President Donald Trump's massive tax-and-spending package on July 4 will expose more children to high levels of stress and stop thousands and thousands of kids from accessing a stable weight loss program of nutritious food.
Food insecurity can harm children – before they’re born
Food insecurity is the technical term for when people lack consistent access to enough nutritious food.
In childhood, it’s related to Worsening of physical health than most individuals, including a better risk of getting Asthma and other chronic diseases.
It can also be tied to a High risk of childhood obesity. It seems counterintuitive that low food access is related to a better risk of obesity. One explanation is just not to be Access to sufficient nutritious food Eating a high-fat, high-sugar weight loss program can lead people to eat foods which might be low cost and filling but cause them to realize weight.
Even temporary interruptions within the delivery of SNAP advantages can harm American children. Although the results of transient food shortages will be difficult to measure, one study Temporary food shortages in Kenya suggests that even short-term food shortages can affect each parents and their children in the long run.
And the snap spending cuts, which Trump called his “big beautiful bills,” are amongst them It is bound to hurt many children Whose families were counting on SNAP to get enough to eat and are actually losing their advantages.
In a study published in 2025 by researchers at Northwestern and Princeton universities, greater than 1,000 American children entered puberty. This showed that early childhood food insecurity is predicted High cardiovascular risks in youth. But these researchers also found that SNAP advantages may reduce cardiovascular risks later in life for youngsters experiencing food insecurity.
Food insecurity in pregnancy can also be dangerous, and Not just for mothers. This too Your children are at risk.
Another study published in 2025 reviewed the medical records of greater than 19,000 pregnant American women. It has been found that pregnant women who experience food insecurity usually tend to There are complications related to pregnancyequivalent to being born weeks or months before their due date, developing gestational diabetes or spending time beyond regulation within the hospital, their baby needs a stay within the neonatal intensive care unit.
The same study found that when pregnant women received SNAP advantages and other forms of presidency food assistance, they were It is largely safe from them Risks related to food insecurity.
Food insecurity affects children's mental health
A 2021 evaluation of greater than 100,000 American children led by researchers on the University of California, Berkeley, and Kaiser Permanente showed that when children experience food insecurity sometimes or often over a 12-month period, they run 50% higher risk Anxiety or depression in comparison with children.
Childhood food insecurity can also be related to higher Behavior problems And worse Academic performance. These mental health, educational and behavioral problems in childhood can predispose people to poorer health and fewer employment opportunities later in life.
Children and infants usually tend to experience food insecurity There is a lack of nutrientsincluding insufficient iron. A review of many years of research I participated in found that iron deficiency during infancy and early childhood, when the brain is developing rapidly, May cause lasting damage.
Other research projects I've participated in have found that childhood iron deficiency is associated Cognitive deficits, not getting a high school diploma or going to collegeand Mental health issues Later on
Food insecurity is usually one among many sources of stress for youngsters
If a baby is experiencing food insecurity, they are sometimes coping with other varieties of stress at the identical time. Food insecurity is more common amongst children Experiencing poverty And homeless. It can also be common for youngsters Little access to health care.
Research by Research Group I, in addition to other researchers, has found that experiencing multiple sources of stress in childhood will be detrimental. Mental and physical healthincluding how Bodies manage stress. These different sources of Stress often builds upcontributing to health problems.
Parents experiencing food insecurity are sometimes stressed as they scramble to get enough food for his or her children. And when Parents are stressed They turn into more Suffering from mental health problemsand should be more prone to lose their temper or Be physically aggressive with their children.
Consequently, when parents are stressed, have mental health problems or develop strict parenting styles, it’s bad for his or her children.
Even at normal times, the snap falls short
Before that, to make sure 2025 Government Shutdown Disrupts Snap Fundingits advantages Not covered full price To feed most families.
Because he Less than what was necessary to stop Food insecurity requires many families with SNAP advantages to frequently visit food pantries and food banks — especially toward the tip of the month once their advantages run out.
A grocer in my rural hometown in South Dakota Posted on Facebook in November 2025 concerning the impact of food insecurity on the families he frequently sees. He explained that he keeps his stores open after midnight on days of Snap deployment. He said a lot of his customers were in a rush to get their “first real meal in days.”