The Food and Drug Administration has missed a congressional deadline to ban electrical stimulation devices (ESDs), commonly used as behavior modification on autistic and developmentally disabled individuals, including children. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) condemned the delay, saying it reflects a failure to safeguard the public from both ESDs and electroconvulsive therapy devices.
The device delivers a punishment more painful than a commercial stun gun through high amperage and electrode spacing, according to critics. Electrodes are attached to the arms, legs, or stomach and deliver 60 volts and 15 milliamps of electricity in two-second bursts—sometimes up to 77 times a day. Survivors report severe pain, terror, and trauma. The FDA has identified potential harms including skin burns, tissue damage, suicidality, and chronic stress. One survivor testified: "I would ask God to make my heart stop because I did not want to live when that (electric shock) was happening to me."
Congress enacted a law in 2023 to enable the FDA to legally ban the device, which the agency proposed doing in March 2024. The FDA missed the June 2026 deadline for finalizing the ban. The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that using ESDs places recipients "at high risk for both physical and psychological traumas" and could exacerbate the behaviors they aim to correct.
The United Nations has described the practice as torture. In 2012, UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez declared it should end, stating: "The passage of electricity through anybody's body is clearly associated with pain and suffering." A 2023 guideline from the World Health Organization and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an end to "structural violence and harm" in mental health laws.
CCHR President Jan Eastgate said the delay prioritizes profit over human rights. "In an era where there is international condemnation of coercive psychiatric practices, any electrical device used to force changes in behavior, emotion, and mental problems should be prohibited," she said. CCHR has led global initiatives to end electroshock treatment, obtaining bans on its use on minors in California and Texas.
The practice has faced long-standing opposition. In 2007, Mother Jones exposed abuses at a Massachusetts facility using the device and charging $220,000 per student annually. Six children had died in the facility's care. Over 100 advocacy groups, including the Stop the Shock Coalition, have pushed for the ban. New York State Senator Jabari Brisport stated: "No facility that thinks it's acceptable to electro-shock children can be trusted with their care."
Retired professor Nancy Weiss emphasized: "You're not allowed to use electric shock on prisoners or prisoners of war or convicted terrorists." She warned that the ban will face resistance from those profiting from the device. The FDA's missed deadline leaves thousands of individuals at risk as advocates continue to demand an end to what they call a cruel and outdated practice.
