Millions of children across the United States are quietly taking on a role few people realize exists: caring for sick or disabled family members. According to reporting originally written by Feylyn Lewis for The Guardian, an estimated 5.4 million minors in the U.S. serve as caregivers, stepping in to help parents, grandparents, siblings, or other loved ones when illness, disability, or gaps in the healthcare system leave families without adequate support.

Lewis’ article highlights how these young caregivers—sometimes called “youth caregivers” or informally described as “little nurses”—often handle responsibilities far beyond typical childhood chores. Tasks can include feeding relatives, administering medications, assisting with bathing or dressing, and even managing wound care after surgeries.

The issue is deeply personal for Lewis. In her Guardian essay, she recounts how she became her mother’s primary caregiver at just 11 years old after a spinal surgery left her mother unable to care for herself. With no home health aides or social workers assigned, Lewis was responsible for daily tasks ranging from medication management to helping her mother bathe and dress.

“At 11, I was still playing with Barbie dolls,” Lewis wrote, yet she had already taken on the responsibilities of managing a household.

Her experience, she notes, is far from unique.

The Guardian article also shares the story of Neo, a teenager from Bayside, New York, who began caring for his father at age 12 after the man suffered a debilitating stroke. Neo told Lewis that before his father received a feeding tube, he was responsible for feeding him, bathing him, and helping with daily care—tasks he described as overwhelming for someone his age.

“It feels like I’m basically an adult,” Neo said, explaining that the level of responsibility made his childhood feel dramatically different from that of his peers.

Experts cited in the Guardian report say youth caregiving exists on a spectrum. While many children occasionally help family members, some take on consistent and demanding caregiving roles that can affect their mental health, education, and social lives. Research has linked heavy caregiving responsibilities among minors to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and school absenteeism.

Yet despite the scale of the issue, Lewis reports that the United States has relatively little infrastructure designed to support young caregivers.

Other countries have begun implementing programs to recognize and assist them. In England, for example, schools partner with charities to train staff members to identify “young carers” and connect them with resources. College applications may also include options for students to disclose caregiving responsibilities so they can receive support services.

Lewis argues that a similar recognition system is largely missing in the U.S., where youth caregivers often remain invisible.

Economic pressures could make the issue even more significant in the future. The Guardian article notes that millions of adult caregivers depend on programs such as Medicaid to help provide home-based care for relatives. Cuts to those programs could increase the likelihood that children will be forced to fill the gap.

For Lewis, acknowledging these young caregivers is the first step toward change.

“We can’t support what we do not see,” she wrote—urging policymakers and communities to recognize the hidden role many children already play in caring for America’s sick and disabled.