The short answer to this question is that weight lifting does not stunt growth in children, but still there remains some controversy over this.

The reality is that youth often participate in activities which causes larger amounts of stress to their joints and growth plates than does weight lifting. Running, jumping, and other activities all place large forces on child's body and it could be argued that these may be more damaging than weight lifting.

One of the big issues with children lifting weights is that they often don't have professional supervision and use poor form and technique which will lead to injury.

If this is concern over children lifting weights then they consult a professional for personal assistance and keep their sets between 12 and 15 repetitions.