Figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform show that officers took swabs from 53,973 under-18s in 2011 and 69,796 swabs in 2010.
During the period, a total of 3,658 swabs were taken from primary school pupils aged 10 and 11.
The Howard League claims that many of the children and young people being swabbed will never be charged but are being treated like "hardened criminals".
“When public money is tight and police forces are shrinking, it is disappointing to see valuable crime-fighting resources being wasted on taking DNA samples from thousands of innocent children while serious offences go undetected," Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said.
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