Fireworks are dangerous for children to be around

What the research found

Injury reports consistently show harm. A 1985 US study found half of people hurt by fireworks were under 15, and 11% of injuries led to hospital admission. Burns were the most common injury, and the eyes were the body part most often hurt. Every type of legally sold firework had caused serious injury or death. Places with looser rules had injury rates more than seven times higher.

Current guidance says the same. In 2025, US reports listed 15 fireworks-related deaths and about 13,000 injuries. Burns made up about 38% of emergency visits, and eye injuries about 19%. Nearly half of fireworks injuries in children under 5 involved sparklers, which burn at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Loud bangs of up to 150 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage up close.

A 2019 review of fireworks eye injuries noted millions of injuries a year, a large share in children, with numbers staying stable. A 2017 randomised trial of education programs among schoolboys found 31 of 1584 students (2.0%) had a fireworks-related injury. Use of firecrackers was lower in wealthier families.

What it doesn’t mean

• Most evidence is injury records and reviews, so it shows how often harm happens, not the exact risk for any one family. Most injuries happened when fireworks were misused or malfunctioned.
• Watching a professional display from a safe distance is safer than backyard fireworks or sparklers. Guidance suggests staying at least 500 feet away and never touching unexploded (dud) fireworks.
• Talk to a GP or seek medical care promptly for any eye injury, burn or hearing problem after fireworks.