The guide

Can teens take creatine? What pediatricians and the research say

By GyroscopeUpdated November 15, 202613 sources

We don’t give a dose to anyone under 18. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against performance supplements for children and teens, and its pediatricians say creatine’s claims for teens lack solid research. Creatine researchers say it’s acceptable for teens in serious, supervised sport. The trials in teenagers are small and short. For a teenager, puberty, coaching, food and sleep do far more than a scoop.

Creatine has gone from the back of the gym to the high school locker room, carried by social media. When parents go looking for an answer, they find two groups of experts who disagree. Pediatricians say no to performance supplements. Sports nutrition researchers say creatine is one of the safest supplements studied and that the under-18 warnings on labels are mostly legal caution. Both are describing the same small pile of evidence.

What the pediatricians say

The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote about performance-enhancing substances in 2005 and again in 2016. The 2005 statement counts dietary supplements among them, says virtually no data exist on their safety and effectiveness in children and teens, and says the Academy “strongly condemns” their use. The 2016 report lists three worries about legal supplements, which are high rates of contamination, a link with later anabolic steroid use, and harm to youth sport, and notes that for most young athletes these products don’t add much beyond what puberty, good nutrition and training give.

In October 2026 the Academy’s parent site answered the question directly, in a piece by Dr. Sigrid Wolf, a pediatric sports medicine physician. She writes that creatine “might not deliver everything the influencers claim”, lists side effects including weight gain, nausea and diarrhea, and says the social media claims for brain health, sleep loss and muscle in teens have no solid research support. Her advice is a food-first plan with enough protein, rest and fluids.

It’s like strapping a small booster onto a rocket that’s already lifting off. Puberty is driving big strength gains anyway.

What the creatine researchers say

The International Society of Sports Nutrition takes a different line. Its 2017 position stand says no study has shown creatine at recommended doses is a health risk under 18, calls under-18 label warnings a legal precaution, and says creatine is acceptable for younger athletes who are in serious supervised training, eat a good diet, understand how to use it and stay within the usual doses. A 2021 review by creatine researchers says that, based on limited evidence, it “appears safe and potentially beneficial” for children and teens.

Both groups agree the evidence in teens is thin. They disagree about what to do while it’s thin.

What the teen trials show

Most of the trials are in teenage swimmers and soccer players, usually with a loading dose of 20 to 25 g a day for 4 to 7 days, sometimes followed by 5 g a day. In 16 male fin swimmers around 16, five days of 20 g a day improved sprint swimming and power. In 17 soccer players around 17, a week of 20 g a day improved repeated sprints and dribbling. Most of the trials reported no side effects, and one found stomach discomfort only when creatine was taken with a large dose of carbohydrate. A 2025 review concluded creatine can improve sprint and power measures in adolescents, while noting that teenage girls have barely been studied (Antonio 2025).

On safety, a 2026 review found five studies from 2015 to 2025 that tracked kidney, liver and cardiometabolic markers in teenagers and active youth on creatine, and found no consistent short-term warning signs. The authors called for larger, longer studies. A 2021 review added that the performance trials in teens mostly didn’t check health markers at all, and that creatine has been used for months in children with muscular dystrophy, lupus and brain injury under medical care without harm to their lab results.

Two findings keep us cautious. In 2025, doctors reported a 17-year-old who developed acute kidney injury after a six-day high-dose loading plan, with both creatinine and cystatin C rising. One case report can’t show what caused it or how common it is, but it’s a reason to avoid loading in anyone young. And in a Canadian survey of 912 teens and young adults, creatine use went with more symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, an unhealthy fixation on muscle size, when the same people were surveyed again later. That doesn’t prove creatine caused it, but it’s a good reason to ask a teen why they want it.

The law

New York has barred selling supplements marketed for muscle building to anyone under 18 since April 22, 2024, and California’s law does the same from January 1, 2027. Both list creatine among the clues that put a product in that group. The laws apply to sellers, not teens. Creatine and the law has what each covers.

What helps a teenager get stronger

A teenager gets stronger from lifting with a coach, enough protein and calories, and sleep. Food first is what pediatricians advise, and meat and fish bring a little creatine along with their protein, which foods high in creatine sizes up. strength.guide covers whether it’s safe for teens to lift and whether lifting stunts growth. Our quiz stops at “Not yet” for anyone under 18.

Where the expert groups stand

• American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005. Strongly condemns performance-enhancing substances, supplements included, for children and teens.
• American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016. For most young athletes, these substances don’t add significant gains beyond puberty, nutrition and training.
• American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org, October 2026. Creatine’s claims for teens have no solid research support. Food, rest and fluids first.
• International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. Creatine is acceptable for younger athletes in serious supervised training who stay within recommended doses.
• New York, 2024, and California, 2027. No sale of muscle-building supplements to anyone under 18.