Despite limited access to fresh foods, energy drinks are easy to find in local corner stores and markets across Los Angeles and Orange County. They are heavily marketed to children and teens, and can even be purchased through SNAP/EBT if they have a “Nutrition Facts” label. Their colorful packaging, fun names, and promise of "energy" make them even more tempting.
However, energy drinks have known negative health effects. “Stimulant-containing energy drinks have no place in the diets of children or adolescents,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics.1 But why not? Isn’t it basically a tasty drink with an extra zip? That may be how they are marketed, but it does not show the true effects of energy drinks on our youth. In fact, they are so unhealthy that some countries have restricted or banned the sale of energy drinks to children and teens.2
What is an energy drink?
An energy drink is a beverage that claims to increase energy and concentration while fighting fatigue.
Most contain:
Caffeine and/or other stimulants
Sugars and/or artificial sweeteners
Herbal ingredients
Other additives3
A cup of coffee has about 95 milligrams of caffeine. Some energy drinks have over five times this amount, with up to 505 milligrams of caffeine in just one serving.2 This dose can be too much for adults, let alone children.
What Do Energy Drinks Do to a Child’s Body?
The ingredients in energy drinks affect many of your child’s body systems all at once.
Brain and nerves
Caffeine blocks adenosine from doing its job. Adenosine is a brain chemical that naturally builds to make you feel more sleepy and less alert.
By blocking adenosine, caffeine makes kids feel more awake and alert in the short term, but prevents the rest their body needs.
Kids may feel more awake at first, but may then have trouble sleeping, feel jittery or anxious, or develop headaches.1
These things can happen to adults too, but kids are more affected because of their smaller size.3
There is also concern about the impact this has on the development of their nervous system–their brain and nerves.1
Heart and blood vessels
Caffeine and other stimulants (like guarana) make the heart beat faster and raise blood pressure.
In some cases, they may trigger arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), which is very dangerous.1
Blood sugar and sugar break down
The amount of sugar in energy drinks can range from 1 g to 43 g per 8 ounce cup, making them about as sugary as soda.3
Drinking a large amount of sugar from energy drinks causes a sharp spike in blood sugar that quickly drops.
This is difficult for your body to handle. It wants more of a steady, smaller stream of sugar.
Repeating these big spikes over and over puts lots of stress on the system that controls blood sugar. Over time, this can result in type 2 diabetes and weight gain/obesity, especially when combined with other risk factors.2
These drinks also fill your child’s diet with “empty” calories that have little benefit to them, crowding out the healthier foods they need to grow.
Teeth
Many energy drinks are considered acidic, often with a pH of 3-4. A lower pH value means something is more acidic. This level of 3-4 is much more acidic than water (which has a pH of 7) and closer to drinks like soda or even vinegar.
This level of acidity can cause enamel demineralization,1 meaning it starts to break down the protective outer layer of your child’s teeth (enamel).
Without strong enamel, your child’s teeth are much more likely to develop cavities. Treating cavities typically requires a dentist, which can be hard to access in many areas of Los Angeles and Orange County.
It is important to note that children with cardiovascular, renal, or liver diseases, seizures, diabetes, mood and behavioural disorders and hyperthyroidism are at an even higher risk for these harmful effects from energy drinks.3
How Do Energy Drinks Affect Children and Teens?
Multiple studies have looked at the effect of energy drinks on health, showing strong links between energy drink use in young people and:
Binge drinking
Smoking tobacco and the use of other substances
Unsafe or risky sexual behaviors
Physical fights and injuries
Poor sleep and daytime tiredness
Worse performance and concentration in school
Higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression
Greater risk of suicide
Risk of ADHD symptoms2
These are associations, rather than direct proof that energy drinks cause all of these problems by themselves. But they are still very important to consider, especially if you already have concerns about your child’s behavior, mood, or school performance.
Caffeine Dependence and Withdrawal
Studies have shown that children may be more likely than adults to develop caffeine dependence, and may become dependent at lower doses and with less frequent use.³ When the body gets used to caffeine, it starts to “expect” it. If this expectation is not met, your child may go through withdrawal symptoms, including:
Fatigue
Decreased energy
Decreased alertness
Drowsiness
An unhappy and uneasy mood
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Flu-like symptoms
Nausea
Vomiting
Muscle aches3
Sports Drinks vs. Energy Drinks
These two types of drinks are often confused. They are not the same.
Sports Drinks | Energy Drinks |
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Energy drinks may also contain ingredients like guarana (another caffeine source) and taurine (an ingredient that may change or increase the effects of caffeine).2
Quick Rules of Thumb
Energy drinks: NOT for kids or teens at all
Sports drinks: ONLY okay occasionally, mainly after long, hard exercise (like a full-day soccer tournament in the heat)
Water: ALWAYS a great choice, for any activity, everyday
For almost all everyday play, school PE, and short practices, water is exactly what your kid’s body wants and needs to stay healthy. Kids do not need and should not have special drinks to be healthy or active.
How to Read Labels in the Store
If you do choose to buy bottled drinks in the store, check the label:
Look for caffeine, guarana, and yerba mate, or “energy blend,” especially for children and teens
Check the sugar
Look at “Total Sugars” and “Added Sugars”
Choose low or no added sugar when you can
The safest choice for children and teens is simple: no energy drinks and very limited sweetened drinks. This will help keep your child healthy and happy!
Healthier, Affordable Alternatives
If your child asks for something like Celsius, Red Bull, or Powerade, you can offer alternatives that still feel special.
Infused water
Water with some of fresh lemon, lime, orange, or berries
Add some mint leaves if available
Watered-down 100% fruit juice
Mix lemon juice, apple juice, or pure pomegranate juice (my favorite) with water
This reduces sugar while keeping flavor
Using reusable bottles with tap water for this is much cheaper over time than buying packs of sugary drinks like energy drinks. Small changes like these protect both your child and your money!
Sources:
Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness (2011). Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents: are they appropriate?. Pediatrics, 127(6), 1182–1189. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-0965
Ajibo, C., Van Griethuysen, A., Visram, S., & Lake, A. A. (2024). Consumption of energy drinks by children and young people: A systematic review examining evidence of physical effects and consumer attitudes. Public Health, 227, 274–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.08.024
Pound, C. M., Blair, B., & Canadian Paediatric Society, Nutrition and Gastroenterology Committee, Ottawa, Ontario (2017). Energy and sports drinks in children and adolescents. Paediatrics & child health, 22(7), 406–410. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxx132