A new survey found that kids as young as 10 are taking steroids to increase their athletic performance. According to a new survey, boys and girls as young as 10 are taking the illegal drugs in order to do better in sports. The survey found that 2.7 percent of 965 youngsters polled at four Massachusetts middle schools are using anabolic steroids. Like adults, kids take steroids for their muscle-building properties. But steroids can also harm the liver and kidneys, stunt growth and cause a host of other long-term ailments.
Steroids freeze the growth center and trick the body into thinking they're old.
Some of the side effects like acne go away once they quit taking the steroids, but others, like hair loss and stunted growth, are irreversible. One of the most serious risks, says Goldberg, comes when kids inject the drugs. Researchers aren't sure. I think we have to look at brothers and sisters, I think we have to look at parents, I think we have to look at youth coaches. Goldberg suspects the more likely suppliers are other kids or older siblings.