The Department of Health & Social Care is consulting on whether to prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster to under-18s. An alternative option is to ban them to under-16s.
The move follows growing concerns about the widespread consumption of energy drinks by children and adolescents and these drinks' contribution to childhood obesity and pupils struggling to concentrate in school.
Studies indicate that 12- to 18-year-olds who drink several energy drinks a day are 3.5 times more likely to experience sleeping problems and more than two-thirds of 10- to 17-year-olds in the UK consume energy drinks. Energy drinks have also been associated with depression, emotional difficulties and lower wellbeing among under-18s.
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