Children under the age of 10 should not be treated for obesity with weight-loss drugs or surgery, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in new recommendations published on Wednesday in Geneva.
The WHO is calling for other forms of treatment to be prioritised for younger children as it sets out new guidelines for managing obesity among people under 19.
The recommendations cover GLP-1 drugs, a group that includes medicines sold under brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Originally developed to treat diabetes, some GLP-1 medicines are now widely used for weight loss. They mimic a hormone that helps regulate insulin and makes people feel full for longer.
In December 2025, the WHO recommended GLP-1 medicines as one possible treatment for obesity in adults.
Its new guidance, however, advises against using weight-loss medication, bariatric surgery or weight-loss devices to treat children aged nine and under.
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For adolescents aged 10 to 19, authorised medicines can be considered, but only when a supervised programme combining different lifestyle changes has failed to produce the expected results, the WHO said.
Bariatric surgery can also be considered for adolescents with severe obesity, but only under strict conditions.
The recommendations come as childhood obesity continues to rise worldwide.
Around 70 million children aged five to nine and 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19 were living with obesity in 2024, according to the WHO.
Among children and adolescents aged five to 19, the global prevalence of obesity increased from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024.
