Many teens, myself included, have gotten really used to drinking energy drinks fairly often. But should teens be able to drink them freely? Many people have concerns. The 4 major side effects of energy drinks are anxiety, dehydration, insomnia, and heart complications. Heart complications include irregular heartbeat or even heart failure.
In 2011, 1499 teens were rushed to the ER because of an energy drink related emergency. More than 10 percent of these ER visits resulted in those teens being hospitalized. Many energy drink brands target their ads towards kids aged 13-18. As a result, these teens are influenced to drink these. Many schools even have energy drinks in vending machines, giving teens an even easier access to energy drinks. Parents are also uneducated on how risky it is having young children drink these drinks, especially the ones that have sugar in them.
So how do energy drink companies defend themselves? Many companies say that a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts has more sugar and caffeine than their drinks. The difference is that energy drinks use artificial sources for caffeine, which have been proven to be more dangerous than natural caffeine sources. Many health research centers have concluded that children should consume no caffeine at all.
In my opinion, I think that the age limit for energy drinks should be 16. At that age, many teens are full grown or close to it. The major concern of teens drinking energy drinks is because they are smaller than adults, but many teens, girls especially, are full grown by 16. Also, energy drinks can help teens focus better in school, so they should be able to consume them in moderation.
Questions:
Do you drink energy drinks? If so, how often?
Do you think there should be an age limit for energy drinks?
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/energy.htm
https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2020/atp-energy-drinks
Replies
Great job Lauren! #1 this week!
I consume energy drinks about once a week or every other week. I personally don't think there should be an limit for the buying or consumption of energy drinks, because I think they are fine to drink in moderation.
I don't think that there should be a limit on energy drinks because some kids need them to function properly in school. If anything, maybe there can be more media to show the side affects of energy drinks so people can make more rational decisions of if they will drink energy drinks.
I do not think there should be an age limit on energy drinks because everyone has had at least one time that they need just a little bit more energy to get through something or even drive. That would ruin a lot of preworkouts for kids that are trying to lift and improve themselves by using caffeine to help them.
No, I do not drink energy drinks because I have never wanted to. I do believe that there should definitely be an age limit on drinking energy drinks, but not as alcohol. I think that the limit should be around 15 years old to prevent little kids from drinking them.
Yes, I agree that 21 would be way too old, but a limit around 15 could benefit a lot of people.
In my personal opinion, I think that there should definitely be an age limit of some sort on drinking energy drinks. Although I don't think it should be nearly as high as other limits, like drinking alcohol, but closer to around fourteen to fifteen years old. Since there is so much caffeine in these drinks, I think they should be regulated slightly.
I agree. These drinks can do a lot of harm if you aren't careful, so regulating them could result in less ER visits because of energy drinks.
I think there should be an age limit but not like alchohol. I think it should be around the age of 14 - 16 years old. I do think there at least should be a limit on how many you can buy in one trasaction if you are under the age of 18 or so.
I don’t drink energy drinks, but I know a lot of people do. I’m not really sure if there should be an age limit to be able to drink them, but if there was I think it should be 14 years old or around that age. They seem to be ok as long as one is drinking them in moderation.
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