Problem

This section references 2022 data to ensure consistency with previously published national reports and comparability across datasets.

Child abuse is widespread, yet the reporting process remains dangerously inefficient. In 2022, approximately 558,899 U.S. children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect—about 8 out of every 1,000 children (1). Child protective agencies received 4.4 million reports involving 7.9 million children (2). Despite these staggering numbers, gaps and inefficiencies in the system persist, leaving children at risk.

Challenges in the Current System

• Underreporting and Delays: Many cases go unreported or are reported too late. Studies show 39% of adults in a state with universal mandatory reporting didn’t know they were required to report suspected abuse (3, 4). Fear and misinformation discourage action—over half of respondents worried that reporting "won’t help" the child (5).

• Incomplete & Subjective Reports: Even when reports are made, poor quality is an issue. Teachers, doctors, and neighbors may leave out critical details like dates, descriptions, or context. Reports often contain subjective language instead of factual observations, forcing investigators to spend excessive time following up.

• Overwhelmed Systems: High-profile abuse cases often lead to surges in reporting, overwhelming agencies with low-quality or unfounded reports. After Pennsylvania expanded mandatory reporting, its hotline received over 1 million reports in five years—yet 90% of investigations were dismissed as unfounded (6, 7, 8). This flood of reports strained caseworkers and made it harder to spot the children truly in danger (9, 10).

• Real-World Consequences: These failures cost lives. In 2022, nearly 2,000 children died from abuse or neglect in the U.S. (11). Investigations often reveal missed warning signs—reports that were late, incomplete, or lost in a backlog. The consequences extend beyond families, imposing enormous costs on healthcare, law enforcement, and foster care systems (12). Child abuse costs the U.S. hundreds of billions annually, with estimates ranging from $80.3 billion (2012) to $428 billion (2015) and $2.94 trillion in lifetime costs for 2018 cases (12, 13, 14).