*A new study has identified the states where children face the greatest safety risks — and the findings may surprise parents in some unexpected corners of the country.
The April 2026 report, conducted by iSharing, a family location tracking app with over 60 million downloads, examined data across all 50 states. Researchers pulled figures from six categories: missing children, aggravated assault, rape, kidnapping, school bus fatal crashes, and school shootings, calculating each state’s numbers as incidents per 100,000 residents for fair comparison.
Montana claimed the top spot as the most dangerous state for children, posting an incident rate of 116 — more than seven times higher than the safest regions. Despite a population of just over one million, the state recorded more than 1,300 cases involving minors in a single year, with aggravated assault accounting for the bulk, including nearly 600 attacks on teenagers between the ages of 10 and 19.
Tennessee and Arkansas followed in second and third place. Tennessee logged the highest raw total among the top five, with over 8,300 cases affecting minors, including more than 6,000 aggravated assault incidents and nearly 500 kidnapping reports. Arkansas documented over 3,500 cases despite a population of roughly three million, with close to 1,000 rape reports involving children compounding an already troubling profile.
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Kansas ranked fourth, distinguished by nearly 30 school shootings and more than 300 reported child abductions. New Mexico rounded out the top five, carrying the lowest safety score in that group alongside elevated rates across multiple harm categories.
Missouri, Michigan, Oklahoma, Colorado, and South Carolina completed the ten most dangerous states. Maine stood at the opposite end of the spectrum, recording just 235 yearly incidents to earn the title of safest state for children.
An iSharing spokesperson put the findings in practical terms. “Over 50 million families worldwide are now using real-time location sharing tools, because even the safest cities can’t eliminate every risk,” the spokesperson said. “In low-crime cities, parents still rely on features like Place Alerts to know when kids arrive at school safely, or the panic button for instant help if something feels off during their evening walk, and these tools become a necessity in high-risk areas.”
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