Survey Stokes Fears of Drowning Risks Among Australian Children Ahead of Holiday Season

Toddlers explore the water with their parents during a swimming class for babies in Sydney, Australia, on March 16, 2007. Ian Waldie/Getty Images

Australian experts are worried that more children across the country could be at risk of drowning this summer due to a jump in missing swimming lessons for kids and the significant number of parents lacking knowledge of water safety.

The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne surveyed 2,036 Australian parents and found that one in six children aged between six months and 17 years old had never attended a swimming lesson, with younger children less likely to do so.

The cost was the leading reason why youngsters missed swimming classes, with 27 percent of the parents saying they could not afford lessons for their children.

In comparison, a combined 15 percent of the parents believed lessons were not necessary because their children never went swimming or for other reasons.

A toddler explores the water with his mother as an instructor at a swimming class in Sydney, Australia, on March 16, 2007. Ian Waldie/Getty Images

The report also showed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused 47 percent of Australian children to miss out on classes or other swimming opportunities, with those living in Victoria and New South Wales most affected.

In addition, the majority of preschool-aged children (78 percent) only have beginner swimming skills or no skills at all, while the figure for primary school-aged children and teenagers is 31 percent and nine percent, respectively.

Many Parents Lack Knowledge of Water Safety

The report pointed out that many parents hold incorrect beliefs and misunderstandings about drowning risks and how to keep their children safe in the water.

Specifically, while it only takes 20 seconds for a child to drown in reality, nearly half of the parents surveyed incorrectly believed the process would take longer.

Around 44 percent were not aware that drowning was often silent, and 49 percent did not know that they needed to keep their children within arm’s reach in the water at all times.

One in four parents thought it was fine to leave a young child wearing floaties or a swim vest on their own in the water, while 29 percent thought it was no problem leaving a toddler in the bath if an older child was watching over them.

It is noteworthy that parents from culturally diverse backgrounds who were born overseas have been found to possess lower levels of knowledge about water safety compared to those born in Australia.

As the report stated that drowning was the leading cause of death for children aged 15 or under in 2021, there are concerns that families may overlook drowning risks during the upcoming holiday season.

“The combination of reduced water-safety skills among children and low levels of parent knowledge about water-safe practices means that Australian children are at increased risk of drowning and near-drowning accidents this summer,” the report authors said.

“Public health messaging and education for parents and carers about safe supervision and other water-safe practices is urgently needed.”

Parents can obtain necessary information about water safety practices for children from the Royal Children’s Hospital’s website using this link.