Doctors Say Energy Drinks Are a Bad Idea for Kids, Which Somehow Needed Saying

If your kid is bouncing off the walls after downing an energy drink with a lightning bolt on the can and a name that sounds like a rejected monster truck, doctors have a message: Maybe don’t.

Health experts are again warning parents that energy drinks are not meant for children and can cause real health problems, especially because many of them contain a whole lot of caffeine in a small, aggressively marketed package.

According to the Beloit Daily News, doctors are advising parents not to give children energy drinks. Depending on the product, one serving can contain anywhere from 80 to 300 milligrams of caffeine. For context, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids ages 12 to 18 limit caffeine to 100 milligrams a day. Younger children should avoid it altogether.

So yes, that “one little can” could be triple what a teenager should have in an entire day. Great. Very normal.

A federally funded survey found that energy drink use among students is not exactly rare. About 23% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 18% of eighth graders reported drinking energy drinks daily.

Daily. As in every day. As in “breakfast of champions,” except the champions are sleep-deprived middle schoolers with algebra homework and a resting heart rate that sounds like a drum solo.

Doctors warn that too much caffeine can cause abnormal heartbeats, increased heart rates, sleep problems, dehydration, agitation, high blood pressure and seizures. That list is doing a lot of work, and none of it says, “perfect for a growing child.”

Energy drinks are often marketed with words like “focus,” “performance” and “boost,” which makes them sound like a study tool or a sports drink. They are not. Many contain stimulants, sugar or other ingredients that can hit kids harder than adults. And because the drinks are easy to find in gas stations, grocery stores and vending machines, teens may not think of them as risky.

The American Beverage Association says its members disclose caffeine amounts and advise that energy drinks are not intended for children.

That is helpful, in the same way a tiny warning label is helpful after a brand has already made the can look like it was designed by a video game boss.

Doctors say parents should talk to their kids about what is actually in these drinks and why they can be a problem. They also recommend steering kids toward water, milk or other lower-caffeine options. Groundbreaking, yes, but apparently still necessary.

The bottom line: Kids do not need energy drinks. They already have energy. Too much, usually. Ask anyone who has ever been trapped in a room with an eighth grader after lunch.