Back-to-school shopping raises the new-age question: how heavy should your kids’ backpack be?

As families begin back-to-school shopping, here’s how to know if your child’s backpack is too heavy, and how to lighten their load. How heavy is too heavy? The modern school backpack has evolved, but it hasn’t necessarily gotten lighter. Dr. Sadika Kendi, a physician who chairs the academy’s injury-prevention efforts, says back injuries are uncommon but possible, particularly if a child falls while carrying a heavy backpack. “It’s worse if, for example, they trip and fall and they have a huge, heavy backpack on their back.