CBD LoveThe independent Australian guideSearch

CBD for children and teenagers

The only use of CBD in children backed by strong trials is specialist treatment for rare severe epilepsies. The evidence, risks and Australian rules.

Facts checked 13 November 20267 min readHow we research

The only use of CBD in children supported by strong trials is prescription CBD for a few rare, severe forms of epilepsy, given under specialist care with regular liver blood tests.1 For other childhood and teenage conditions, including anxiety, autism and ADHD, the evidence is small, mixed or missing. Low-dose pharmacist-only CBD is for adults only.2

What is CBD approved for in children?

The TGA registered Epidyolex, a purified CBD oral solution, in September 2020. It is approved as an add-on treatment for seizures in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in patients aged 2 years and older.13

In the United States the same medicine is also approved for tuberous sclerosis complex and from 1 year of age. Its safety and effectiveness below 1 year have not been established.4 Whether Australia has added tuberous sclerosis to the approved uses was not confirmed in our research. See Epidyolex and Sativex.

These are not typical childhood epilepsies. They are severe conditions in which seizures continue despite several medicines. The trial results and their limits are on our epilepsy page.

Any other use of CBD in a child relies on a doctor’s individual judgement. The TGA’s 2017 guidance says the epilepsy evidence is for CBD added to existing treatment in children and young adults whose seizures have not been controlled by several anti-epileptic medicines.5

What doses do children take in epilepsy treatment?

Far more, weight for weight, than adults typically take for other reasons. In the trials, children took 10 to 20 mg per kg of body weight a day for Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, and 25 mg per kg a day for tuberous sclerosis.4 For a 20 kg child, 20 mg per kg is 400 mg a day.

Doses are worked out by weight and built up gradually by the specialist.4 This page describes what trials used. It is not a guide to dosing a child.

What side effects do children get?

The epilepsy trials are the main source. Participants had an average age of 14 (range 2 to 48), and all were taking other anti-seizure medicines. Over up to 14 weeks:4

Side effect CBD 10 mg/kg/day CBD 20 mg/kg/day Placebo
Sleepiness 23% 25% 8%
Decreased appetite 16% 22% 5%
Diarrhoea 9% 20% 9%
Raised liver enzymes 8% 16% 3%
Rash 7% 13% 3%
Pneumonia 8% 5% 1%

Points that matter particularly for children:

  • Growth. At least 5% of body weight was lost by 16% of people on CBD and 8% on placebo.4 The Australian product information says reduced appetite and weight loss may slightly reduce height gain, and that weight should be checked from time to time.3
  • Liver. Blood tests are done before treatment and at 1, 3 and 6 months, then periodically. The risk is highest with valproate.4 See CBD and the liver.
  • Sedation and chest infections with clobazam. Sleepiness affected 46% of those also taking clobazam. Pneumonia was also more common with that combination.4
  • Sesame. Epidyolex contains sesame oil and is not used in people with a sesame allergy.3
  • Alcohol content. Each mL of Epidyolex contains 79 mg of ethanol. The product information puts this at the equivalent of about 14 mL of beer per maximum single dose for a 70 kg adult.3

A systematic review of CBD in children with drug-resistant epilepsy concluded that it probably reduces seizures, with moderate certainty.6 NPS MedicineWise rated most studies as moderate to very low quality and listed diarrhoea, sleepiness and decreased appetite as the commonest adverse events.7

What about anxiety, autism and ADHD?

For these conditions the evidence is much weaker than for epilepsy.

Anxiety. An Australian study gave CBD, built up to as much as 800 mg a day, to 31 young people aged 12 to 25 whose anxiety had not responded to standard treatment. Self-rated anxiety fell by 42.6% over 12 weeks. There was no placebo group, and the authors say a placebo effect cannot be ruled out.8 A placebo-controlled follow-up trial was recruiting in late 2024, and we found no results as of November 2026.9 See CBD for anxiety.

One finding from that research group is relevant to safety. In six of the young people who were also taking the antidepressants citalopram or escitalopram, adding CBD raised citalopram blood levels.10 See CBD drug interactions.

Autism. The largest trial, in 150 people aged 5 to 21, used extracts with a CBD to THC ratio of 20 to 1, so it contained THC.11 See CBD for autism.

ADHD. We found no randomised trial of CBD alone. See CBD for ADHD.

Across youth mental health. A review concluded the evidence is “insufficient to broadly recommend cannabinoids” for mental disorders in young people.12

Why are doctors cautious with young people?

Three reasons come up in the sources.

  1. Long-term effects are unknown. Controlled trials in children ran for about 14 weeks.4 In juvenile rats, CBD given for 10 weeks delayed sexual maturation in males, reduced activity and increased bone density.3 Animal findings do not always apply to people, but they are a reason for caution during development.
  2. Interactions. Children with complex conditions often take several medicines, and CBD changes the blood levels of some of them.4
  3. THC exposure. The TGA’s guidance says low starting doses are particularly important for young people when medicinal cannabis is used.5 Products sold as CBD outside the prescription system can contain THC.13

Can children get CBD without a prescription?

No. The pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) category that the TGA created for low-dose CBD is restricted to adults.2 For the legal position on products sold online, see Buying CBD online in Australia.

The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency advises that children should not have CBD foods or supplements unless a medical professional advises it.14

Accidental swallowing

The serious cannabis poisonings in children described in the research we reviewed involved THC or delta-8-THC edibles such as gummies, not pure CBD.15 The concern with “CBD” gummies and oils is that labels are often wrong. In one United States study, only 31% of 84 online CBD products were accurately labelled, and some contained undeclared THC.13

Store every cannabis product, prescribed or not, locked and out of reach, as you would any medicine.

If a child swallows a CBD or cannabis product, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. The line answers at any time.16 Call 000 in an emergency.

Questions to ask your child’s doctor

  • Is there trial evidence for CBD in my child’s condition, and at what dose?
  • What other treatments are there, and how does their evidence compare?
  • Which of my child’s current medicines could interact?
  • What blood tests are needed, and how often?
  • How will we judge whether it is working, and when would we stop?

Talk to the treating specialist before any change to a child’s anti-seizure medicines. Sudden changes can increase seizures.4

Footnotes

  1. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex: Australian prescription medicine decision summary. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/auspmd/epidyolex ↩ ↩2

  2. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Notice of interim decisions on proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard, June 2020 meetings: 4.1 cannabidiol. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/scheduling-decisions-interim/notice-interim-decisions-proposed-amendments-poisons-standard-acms-and-joint-acms-accs-meetings-june-2020/41-cannabidiol-private-application-and-cannabidiol-delegate-initiated ↩ ↩2

  3. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  5. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: patient information, version 1, December 2017. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-patient-information.pdf ↩ ↩2

  6. Systematic review of cannabidiol in children with drug-resistant epilepsy, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30515765/ ↩

  7. NPS MedicineWise. Medicinal cannabis evidence summary: epilepsy in young patients. https://www.nps.org.au/assets/Medicinal-cannabis-evidence-summary-epilepsy-in-young-patients.pdf ↩

  8. Berger M and others. Cannabidiol for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders in young people: an open-label trial. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35921510/ ↩

  9. Orygen. CANCAN study: frequently asked questions for clinicians, November 2024. https://www.orygen.org.au/Research/Currently-recruiting/CANCAN-study/CANCAN-FAQ-CLINICIANS-November-2024.aspx ↩

  10. Anderson LL and others. Citalopram and cannabidiol: in vitro and in vivo evidence of pharmacokinetic interactions relevant to the treatment of anxiety disorders in young people. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000001427 ↩

  11. Aran and others. Proof-of-concept randomised trial of cannabinoid treatment for autism, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7860205/ ↩

  12. Review of cannabinoids for mental disorders in young people, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11657296/ ↩

  13. Bonn-Miller and others. Labelling accuracy of 84 cannabidiol products sold online. JAMA, 2017. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2661569 ↩ ↩2

  14. UK Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. Provisional cannabidiol (CBD) acceptable daily intake: lay summary, October 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provisional-cannabidiol-cbd-acceptable-daily-intake-adi/lay-summary ↩

  15. Review of paediatric cannabis edible exposures. Frontiers in Toxicology, 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ftox.2024.1371651/full ↩

  16. healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩

Common questions

Can children be prescribed CBD in Australia?

Yes, by a doctor. Epidyolex is registered by the TGA for seizures in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in patients aged 2 and over, as an add-on to other anti-seizure medicines. Any other use in a child is a decision for the treating doctor.

Is CBD safe for teenagers with anxiety?

It has not been properly tested. An Australian study of 31 young people aged 12 to 25 saw anxiety scores fall on CBD up to 800 mg a day, but it had no placebo group and the authors say a placebo effect cannot be ruled out. A review concluded the evidence is insufficient to broadly recommend cannabinoids for mental disorders in young people.

What should I do if my child swallows a CBD product?

Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, which answers at any time, and have the packaging with you. Call 000 in an emergency. Products sold as CBD can contain THC, which is the cause of the serious cannabis poisonings reported in children.

Can a child buy or use pharmacist-only CBD?

No. The Schedule 3 pharmacist-only category for low-dose CBD is limited to adults. For children, CBD is available only on a doctor's prescription.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

Didn't find what you needed? Ask us a question.

Keep reading