Kites Or Kite String
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1309
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Kites Or Kite String carry a danger score of 46/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 370 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 46/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 370
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1309 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 46/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for kites or kite string - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume370 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.9%
- Fatality rate1.95%
- 5-year trend-4%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Kites Or Kite String (CPSC product code 1309, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 370 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 7,390 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 46/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2013 (632 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2022 (95 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for kites or kite string is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 479 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (404 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,428 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 5.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (1.95%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 3 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how kites or kite string fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 816 | 222 | |
| 5-14 | 1,509 | 919 | |
| 15-24 | 637 | 107 | |
| 25-34 | 666 | 198 | |
| 35-44 | 563 | 334 | |
| 45-54 | 435 | 306 | |
| 55-64 | 168 | 304 | |
| 65-74 | 95 | 16 | |
| 75+ | 16 | 74 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Foot | Fracture | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
22YOM P/W HAND LAC SUSTAINED FROM STRING WHILE KITE FLYING, DX:HAND LAC
7YOF, RIGHT POINTER FINGER PAIN & ABRASION, KITE STRING GOT STUCK & SCRAPED FINGER DX: NO DIAGNOSIS
8 YOM FLYING A KITE AND RAN INTO A POLE DX; CONCUSSION W/O LOC, FOREHEAD CONTUSION
8YOM WAS FLYING A KITE & FELL ON A BRICK. DX: FACIAL LAC
27YOF WAS RUNNING WITH A KITE AND TWISTED ANKLE. DX RT ANKLE STR
3YOF FELL TO THE FLOOR AT HOME AFTER GETTING TANGLED UP IN THE STRING OF HER KITE DX: LIP ABRASION *
6YOM FLYING A KITE AND TRIPPED. TWISTED ANKLE. DX: FIBULA FX
14 YOM C/O WRIST FRACTURE S/P RUNNING BACKWARDS WHILE FLYING A KITE AND FELL. DX: WRIST FRACTURE
4 YOM PRESENTS WITH FACIAL LACERATION TO UPPER LIP WHEN HE RAN INTO A TREE WHILE FLYING A KITE JUST PTA AT HOME. DENIES LOC. LACERATION REPAIR PERFORMED. DX: LACERATION OF LIP.
4YOM PRESENTS TO ED AFTER FALL FROM RUNNIGN AND FLYING A KITE. PT FELL HEADFIRST INTO MULCH PILE AND A SHEET OF CORRUGATED METAL. HAS LACERATION AND NECK AND ABRASION ON ELT KNEE AND ELBOW. DX: FALL, CHIN LACERATION. INJURY OF HEAD, ABRASION OF NECK
52YOM WITH LAC TO FINGER AFTER USING KITE AND HAND GOT CAUGHT IN ONE OF THE LINES DX: LAC OF LEFT MIDDLE FINGER WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL. FB PRESENCE UNSPECIFIED
4YOF WAS PLAYING W A KITE AND IT GOT TANGLED UP CAUSING HER TO FALL ONTO LT HAND DX HAND INJURY
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Parents - buzzing bee flyer activity toy Package: (Not for children under 3 - Not suitable for children under 36 months. Long cord.) Cord was cut to 18", so 3- 1/2 yr. old- 45 month old could swing over head. As child was playing he lowered his arm and the kite wrapped around his neck tightly. Child was being supervised so adult was able to get off neck immediately. String is fine and strong, unsupervised child would not be able to remove from neck. Strangulation hazard or rope burn hazard for any age child.
My child was setting up the kite and bent the rod for the kite and it snapped causing fiberglass to fall all over his arms and hands. My child was screaming in pain for hours and I tried getting as much out as I could but he still has some left that Im unable to remove myself. Depending on how it is looking in the next few days I may have to take him to the emergency room to have it checked. If it wasnt for the Covid19 situation I wouldve most definitely took him to the hospital immediately but Im concerned about exposure to pandemic when going to the hospital.
Purchased brand new size 8 meter kite from Caution Kites in Santa Cruz California. Too long of a bridal assembly resulted in an accident where I suffered a shattered collarbone and left elbow. Surgery required. Caution acknowledged that the kite was faulty and was the cause of the accident. They replaced the kite but when asked to pay for medical bills, they have refused to communicate with me. They are uninsured for this type of accident. I have medical bills, loss of work and other expenses I would like to get reimbursed for.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to kites or kite string on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are kites or kite string?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, kites or kite string have a danger score of 46/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 370 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from kites or kite string?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 479 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from kites or kite string increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for kites or kite string injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,428 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by kites or kite string?
Of all ER visits involving kites or kite string, approximately 5.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with kites or kite string?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Toys & Children's Recreation
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 46/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
