Plans for Tightening Age Restriction for Energy Drinks in the Works2 min read

With sugar tax and age limits already implemented in shops, energy drinks are set to have a tighter age restriction after shocking numbers about caffeine consumption among young people has surfaced.

According to the Press Association, a 12-week consultation period has been set to hear a range of views on how to best apply the ban of energy drink purchases by children in England.

Drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine in them (per Litre) are set to be affected under new government plans. These include popular brands such as Red Bull, Monster and Relentless.

The sales of these drinks, depending on the responses during the consultation, will be restricted to those under the age of 16 or 18.

In a surprising report by the Government’s childhood obesity plan, it was discovered that almost 70% of British children aged 10 to 17 consumed energy drinks. Those who purchased the beverages are drinking 50% more than the EU average for that specific demographic.

The energy drinks market has boomed in the last decade or so and it has been estimated that the total sales of drinks were at £1.65bn in the UK alone last year.

Caffeine consumption among young people is a big concern as it has been linked to behavioural problems and lack of discipline in class.

The beverages not only effect children mentally but physically as well. Not only does it contribute to emotional difficulties and fatigue, large consumption of energy drinks leads to high blood pressure, headaches, stomachaches and obesity.

What’s even more concerning is how easy it is to buy with pocket change, with the standard price of an energy drink being as little as £1.

As a former energy drink/caffeine addict myself, I approve of the efforts being made to stop the purchase of these products among teenagers.

I started drinking cans of Monster & Relentless from the age of 13 and almost consistently bought these beverages for the next seven to eight years.

The addiction had a bad toll on both my mental and physical health during high school and college.

Like most kids, I bought it after school with whatever lunch money I had left over and this is something that still goes on to this very day everywhere in England.

I remember first buying energy drinks because of the buzz it gave you. Sure, it gives you a buzz for a short amount of time…but is it worth the longterm consequences? Absolutely not.

 

Photo by thom masat on Unsplash