Energy Drinks for Kids Could Soon Be Banned

Last month, the American Medical Association came out supporting a ban on selling the high-caffeine energy drinks to minors. Lawmakers are taking up the issue.

From Youtube videos to Facebook posts, and all over the internet, children as young as 6 can be seen posing next to and experimenting with energy drinks. Even the famous Honey Boo Boo is into energy drinks — they’re part of her favorite go-to concoction, go-to juice.

After complaints from parents and warnings from the medical community, Washington is now taking aim, claiming companies like Monster, Red Bull, and Rock Star are intentionally marketing to kids. “Don’t have to be Dick Tracy so figure out what the point of this is. Much of life is just monkey see, monkey do”.

The drinks are currently marketed through pro sporting events, concerts, tours and shows. The type of things that usually draw a young audience. Most of the drinks come with a warning label to consume responsibly.

And they are not recommended for children. Still, some experts suggest nearly one-third of people between 12 and 17 years old, are regularly consuming them. It can cause palpitations in the heart, anxiety, trouble sleeping.

Between 2007 and 2011, one study says the number of emergency room visits involving energy drinks doubled. And more than 1,000 incidents involved teens.