Being able to buy nutritious groceries is essential for your family’s health, but recent cuts and disruptions to SNAP benefits are putting millions of American children at risk of food insecurity and long-term developmental harm.
About four in ten of the more than 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are kids under 18. This aid helps families get groceries and supports health from childhood into adulthood. As a developmental psychologist, I study how stress and poor nutrition affect kids’ minds and bodies now and later. Experts like me worry that the 2025 government shutdown disrupted SNAP payments, and cuts in President Donald Trump’s big tax-and-spending bill from July 4 will make things worse. These changes mean more stress for kids and less steady access to good food.
Food insecurity means not having reliable access to enough healthy food. It links to poorer physical health in kids, like higher chances of asthma and other ongoing illnesses. It also raises the risk of child obesity. That might seem odd, but when food is scarce, people often turn to cheap, high-fat, high-sugar options that fill you up but add weight.
Even short SNAP disruptions hurt. A study of a brief food shortage in Kenya shows lasting effects on parents and children. The SNAP cuts in Trump’s “big beautiful bill” will hit many families hard, as they lose benefits they counted on.
A 2025 study from Northwestern and Princeton followed over 1,000 U.S. kids into adulthood. It found food insecurity early on predicts higher heart risks later. But SNAP can lower those risks for kids in need.
Food insecurity during pregnancy is risky too. A 2025 study of over 19,000 pregnant women showed it boosts chances of early birth, gestational diabetes, and longer hospital stays. Babies might need intensive care. Yet, SNAP and other aid protect against these dangers.
Mental health suffers as well. A 2021 analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. kids found those with food insecurity sometimes or often had a 50% higher risk of anxiety or depression than others. Food insecurity ties to more behavior issues and weaker school performance. These can lead to poorer health and fewer job chances as adults.
Kids with food insecurity often lack key nutrients, like iron. Iron deficiency in infancy and early childhood, when brains grow fast, can cause lasting damage. Research shows it links to thinking problems, skipping high school or college, and mental health issues down the road.
Food insecurity rarely comes alone. It’s common with poverty, homelessness, and poor health care access. Multiple stresses harm kids’ mental and physical health, including how they handle stress. Parents facing food insecurity get stressed, raising their own mental health risks. They might lose tempers or use harsh parenting, which hurts kids too.
Even before 2025, SNAP didn’t cover full meal costs. Families often hit food pantries, especially late in the month. A grocer in rural South Dakota shared on Facebook in November 2025 about keeping his store open past midnight on SNAP days. Customers rush in for their “first real food in days.”
These cuts and disruptions mean more kids without healthy food access. That threatens child development nutrition and raises stress in childhood poverty. We need to protect SNAP to safeguard kids’ futures.
