Ozempic Is Quietly Becoming the Go-to Weight Loss Treatment for Teens - Gizmodo

What the report says

Gizmodo reported that use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs among teenagers and young adults is climbing rapidly, according to a new study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study, led by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, examined obesity treatment patterns for people ages 13 to 25 and found that medication use has grown as bariatric surgery has become less common in this group.

The researchers analyzed records from Epic Cosmos, a large health-record dataset, focusing on 204,148 U.S. patients treated for obesity between May 2022 and January 2026. Gizmodo reported that exclusive GLP-1 treatment rose from 88.2% in the May-to-November 2022 period to 96.1% from June 2025 to January 2026. Over the same span, bariatric surgery fell from 11.6% to 3.7%, while combined use of surgery and GLP-1 medication stayed uncommon at about 0.2%.

The drugs include semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. Gizmodo noted that Wegovy has been approved for adolescents 12 and older with obesity, and that the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed use of such medications in 2023. Other bodies, including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, have been more cautious, citing the need for stronger evidence.

The report highlights a broader shift in obesity care for young people, but also underscores unresolved questions about long-term outcomes, treatment sequencing and follow-up. Lead author Sarah Messiah told Gizmodo the medications are an important addition to comprehensive care, not a blanket replacement for surgery or other obesity treatments.