Is Tylenol safe for infants and children? What do you know about the Trump and Kennedy allegations?

It started with an unsubstantiated warning that taking Tylenol during pregnancy could increase a child’s risk of autism. But the message from President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. appears to have quickly expanded to suggest that infants and young children should avoid common painkillers.

“Don’t give it to the baby when he’s born,” Trump said of Tylenol at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Kennedy chimed in to suggest that circumcised children have higher rates of autism, “they’re probably given Tylenol.”

As the administration’s stance on the drug has broadened over the past few weeks, researchers say the idea that young children might develop autism as a result of taking Tylenol is particularly far-fetched.

“There is less evidence of a link between Tylenol in early childhood and autism than there is that taking Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism,” said David Mandel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.

Most scientific evidence suggests that moderate use of Tylenol is safe during pregnancy, and many autism researchers say the data does not support a causal link to autism. When it comes to young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics says Tylenol is safe when it comes to that taken correctly Under the supervision of a pediatrician. The group says the drug should not be given to babies younger than 12 weeks old, unless recommended by a doctor, because Tylenol can mask fever or early signs of sepsis, which require immediate medical attention.

Trump and Kennedy’s first announcement about Tylenol and autism came on September 22, when they unveiled regulatory measures to limit the use of the drug during pregnancy. Although Trump warned pregnant women to “fight like hell not to take the drug,” actual policy changes have been more subdued. Food and Drug Administration He issued a letter asking doctors “To consider reducing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine treatment of low-grade fever.” (Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol.)

However, the FDA has acknowledged that Tylenol is the safest over-the-counter pain reliever during pregnancy and that “a causal relationship has not been proven” with autism.

The agency did not mention the risks to children. However, both Kennedy and Trump repeated such warnings on several occasions — a big leap from the FDA’s messaging.

In a post on Truth Social two weeks ago, Trump wrote that young children should not take Tylenol “for almost any reason.”

Kennedy, meanwhile, doubled down on his statement about circumcision in A Share on X on Friday, saying that “the best explanation for the autism observed in circumcised boys is exposure to acetaminophen.”

Dr. Joshua Gordon, chairman of Columbia University’s department of psychiatry, said the increased warnings about Tylenol represent a common tactic among those looking to trace autism back to vaccines or medications.

“Robert F. Kennedy and his colleagues will start by asking one question, and when the scientific community answers that question, they will modify the question a little bit to prolong the debate on the topic, so to speak,” Gordon said.

He noted how the anti-vaccine community initially raised concerns about the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in relation to autism, and then pivoted to focus on mercury-based preservatives in vaccines and on the cumulative amount of vaccines given in childhood. (Both of these concerns have been debunked.)

“No amount of scientific evidence can be conclusive for this community,” Gordon said. “Debate is like a hydra. If you cut off one head they will try to come up with another head.”

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

White House spokesman Khush Desai said, “The President is right to express his common-sense opinion that Americans should exercise caution when taking all medications and adhere to FDA guidance, including long-term guidance regarding the appropriate use and dosage of acetaminophen in young children.”

A spokesperson for Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol, said the drug is “one of the most widely studied pain relievers and fever reducers in infants and children, and several randomized, controlled clinical trials support the safety of acetaminophen in infants and children when used as directed.”

The spokesman added, “Independent and valid science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.”

Claims that Tylenol increases autism rates in infants and toddlers are based on low-quality studies that do not prove causality, Mandel said.

He pointed out Small study Which found that younger children with autism were significantly more likely to take acetaminophen to treat fever compared to children without the disorder. The study had limitations, Mandell said: Parents had to remember how many times they gave their children acetaminophen, and children with autism are more susceptible to discomfort, which may prompt their parents to give acetaminophen more frequently.

One scientist in particular, immunologist William Parker, promoted the theory that autism could be traced to acetaminophen use in infants and young children. In his post on X, Kennedy He cited a paper by Parker She says there is “overwhelming evidence” that acetaminophen causes autism. But the paper has not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.

As mentioned by Kennedy A Danish study From 2015, it concluded that circumcised boys may be more likely to develop autism. But the study authors said they could not attribute the purported effect to Tylenol.

Very few pediatricians use Tylenol for circumcision, said Dr. Sian Jones Jobst, a pediatrician and president of Whole Children’s Health, a pediatric network in Lincoln, Nebraska. Instead, the common practice is to inject an anesthetic medication.

In other cases, Tylenol is a helpful tool to reduce fever or pain, she added.

“You shouldn’t let your child suffer if they’re clearly uncomfortable,” Jones-Jobst said.