Megan Ferraro Discusses Teen Water Safety on WDIV-TV Detroit

As summer swim season gets underway, teens face a higher drowning risk in open water than many parents realize. Megan Ferraro, Executive Director of The ZAC Foundation and Chair of the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan, recently spoke with WDIV-TV in Detroit, about the risks and how parents must have frequent open discussions with their teens about these potential dangers.

Drowning Risks for Teens

Environments where children drown change by age. Young children in the 1–4 age range are most at risk at home or in backyard residential pools, but as kids get older, the danger moves outside. Teens more commonly drown in open water, pointing to risk-taking behavior and an overestimation of swim skills as contributing factors. She noted that males are six times more likely to drown in open water than females.

Talking to Your Teens about Water Safety

Megan encouraged parents not to wait for a close call to bring up water safety. “If you have a teen, have those difficult conversations with them,” she said. That includes talking about the differences between pool swimming and open water, the importance of never swimming alone, and always swimming in front of a lifeguarded chair.

She also noted that changing weather patterns, including more frequent flooding, are affecting tides and rip currents, making open water conditions less predictable than in years past.

Watch the full interview on Click on Detroit.