diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
index 84dc4b57039a..8e24736ba92d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
@@ -376,6 +376,21 @@ export function addChildSpanToSpan(span: SpanWithPotentialChildren, childSpan: S
   const rootSpan = span[ROOT_SPAN_FIELD] || span;
   addNonEnumerableProperty(childSpan, ROOT_SPAN_FIELD, rootSpan);
 
+  // `_sentryChildSpans` exists only so `getSpanDescendants()` can walk the tree when the segment span
+  // is sent, and that walk stops at an unsampled span without ever visiting its children. So a child
+  // tracked here would be held for the parent's lifetime and never read.
+  if (!spanIsSampled(span)) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // A segment span that stopped recording has had its tree read for the last time, and a child starting
+  // now belongs to whatever segment comes next: it is re-emitted on its own instead. Tracking it here
+  // would pin it for as long as the parent lives, which for a segment span left active in an async
+  // context (e.g. a framework boot span captured by a queue consumer) is the rest of the process.
+  if (rootSpan === span && !span.isRecording()) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   // We store a list of child spans on the parent span
   // We need this for `getSpanDescendants()` to work
   if (span[CHILD_SPANS_FIELD]) {
diff --git a/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/sentrySpan.test.ts b/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/sentrySpan.test.ts
index 7522b7061234..cbfd2c2fffda 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/sentrySpan.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/sentrySpan.test.ts
@@ -8,18 +8,22 @@ import {
 } from '../../../src/semanticAttributes';
 import { SentrySpan } from '../../../src/tracing/sentrySpan';
 import { SPAN_STATUS_ERROR } from '../../../src/tracing/spanstatus';
-import { startInactiveSpan, startSpan } from '../../../src/tracing/trace';
+import { startInactiveSpan, startSpan, withActiveSpan } from '../../../src/tracing/trace';
 import {
   markSpanAsTracerProviderSpan,
   markSpanForOtelSourceInference,
   spanSourceWasExplicitlySet,
 } from '../../../src/tracing/utils';
 import type { Envelope } from '../../../src/types/envelope';
-import type { SpanJSON } from '../../../src/types/span';
-import { spanToJSON, TRACE_FLAG_NONE, TRACE_FLAG_SAMPLED } from '../../../src/utils/spanUtils';
+import type { Span, SpanJSON } from '../../../src/types/span';
+import { getRootSpan, spanToJSON, TRACE_FLAG_NONE, TRACE_FLAG_SAMPLED } from '../../../src/utils/spanUtils';
 import { timestampInSeconds } from '../../../src/utils/time';
 import { getDefaultTestClientOptions, TestClient } from '../../mocks/client';
 
+function childSpansOf(span: Span): Set<Span> {
+  return (span as unknown as { _sentryChildSpans?: Set<Span> })._sentryChildSpans ?? new Set();
+}
+
 describe('SentrySpan', () => {
   describe('name', () => {
     it('works with name', () => {
@@ -214,6 +218,47 @@ describe('SentrySpan', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('child span retention', () => {
+    it('stops tracking children on a segment span once it has been captured', () => {
+      const client = new TestClient(getDefaultTestClientOptions({ tracesSampleRate: 1 }));
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+      const captureEvent = vi.spyOn(client, 'captureEvent');
+
+      let rootSpan: Span | undefined;
+      startSpan({ name: 'root' }, span => {
+        rootSpan = span;
+        startSpan({ name: 'child' }, () => {});
+      });
+
+      expect(captureEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(captureEvent.mock.calls[0]![0].spans).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(childSpansOf(rootSpan!).size).toBe(1);
+
+      // A child that starts after the tree was read is not tracked, but can still find its root span,
+      // which is all that re-emitting it as its own transaction needs.
+      const lateChild = withActiveSpan(rootSpan!, () => startInactiveSpan({ name: 'late child' }));
+      expect(childSpansOf(rootSpan!).size).toBe(1);
+      expect(getRootSpan(lateChild)).toBe(rootSpan);
+    });
+
+    it('stops tracking children on a segment span that has streamed', () => {
+      const client = new TestClient(getDefaultTestClientOptions({ tracesSampleRate: 1, traceLifecycle: 'stream' }));
+      setCurrentClient(client);
+
+      let rootSpan: Span | undefined;
+      startSpan({ name: 'root' }, span => {
+        rootSpan = span;
+        startSpan({ name: 'child' }, () => {});
+      });
+
+      expect(childSpansOf(rootSpan!).size).toBe(1);
+
+      const lateChild = withActiveSpan(rootSpan!, () => startInactiveSpan({ name: 'late child' }));
+      expect(childSpansOf(rootSpan!).size).toBe(1);
+      expect(getRootSpan(lateChild)).toBe(rootSpan);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('end', () => {
     test('simple', () => {
       const span = new SentrySpan({});
diff --git a/packages/core/test/lib/utils/spanUtils.test.ts b/packages/core/test/lib/utils/spanUtils.test.ts
index c6e1542716f2..9b4bd46f7ae8 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/lib/utils/spanUtils.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/lib/utils/spanUtils.test.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ import type { Span, SpanAttributes, SpanTimeInput, StreamedSpanJSON } from '../.
 import type { SpanStatus } from '../../../src/types/spanStatus';
 import type { OpenTelemetrySdkTraceBaseSpan } from '../../../src/utils/spanUtils';
 import {
+  addChildSpanToSpan,
   getRootSpan,
+  getSpanDescendants,
   spanIsSampled,
   spanTimeInputToSeconds,
   spanToJSON,
@@ -780,6 +782,43 @@ describe('getRootSpan', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('addChildSpanToSpan', () => {
+  it('does not track children on an unsampled span', () => {
+    const parent = new SentrySpan({ name: 'parent', sampled: false });
+    const child = new SentrySpan({ name: 'child', sampled: false });
+
+    addChildSpanToSpan(parent, child);
+
+    expect(getRootSpan(child)).toBe(parent);
+    expect((parent as unknown as { _sentryChildSpans?: Set<Span> })._sentryChildSpans).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('does not track children on a segment span that stopped recording', () => {
+    const parent = new SentrySpan({ name: 'parent', sampled: true });
+    parent.end();
+
+    const child = new SentrySpan({ name: 'child', sampled: true });
+    addChildSpanToSpan(parent, child);
+
+    // the child that was not tracked can still find its root span
+    expect(getRootSpan(child)).toBe(parent);
+    expect(getSpanDescendants(parent)).toEqual([parent]);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps tracking children on a span that stopped recording but is not the segment span', () => {
+    const segment = new SentrySpan({ name: 'segment', sampled: true });
+    const parent = new SentrySpan({ name: 'parent', sampled: true });
+    addChildSpanToSpan(segment, parent);
+    parent.end();
+
+    const child = new SentrySpan({ name: 'child', sampled: true });
+    addChildSpanToSpan(parent, child);
+
+    // the segment span is still open, so its transaction has not been assembled yet
+    expect(getSpanDescendants(segment)).toEqual([segment, parent, child]);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('updateSpanName', () => {
   it('updates the span name and source', () => {
     const span = new SentrySpan({ name: 'old-name', attributes: { [SEMANTIC_ATTRIBUTE_SENTRY_SOURCE]: 'url' } });