SCHOOL children are consuming so many addictive high-caffeine energy drinks they are “bouncing off the walls”; and unteachable in class, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
A new report has shown that 15 per cent of people in Britain now have the fizzy beverages with breakfast — and experts say a proposed ban on selling them to under-16s must be brought in as a matter of urgency.
are becoming more popular in deprived areas and lower-income households while decreasing in affluent communities, a study by The Nutrition Society has shown.
without realising they can affect their psychological, physical, educational and overall wellbeing, plus cause hyperactivity and inattention.
The European Food Safety Authority says the average consumption of energy drinks in Europe is two litres a month.
Adolescents in the UK consume one litre more than that.
officer Lauren Morley told The Sun on Sunday: “The impact is scary, it’s an epidemic.”;
are packed with an addictive mix of caffeine, sugar and stimulants and can cost less than a bottle of water at just 30p a can.
‘High-level anxiety’
Excessive caffeine can lead to hyperactivity, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, stomach pains and sleep disturbances.
can also contain additives such as the herb guarana, which is twice as strong as coffee beans.
Lauren, 32, from Worthing, , added: “For a lot of students, their breakfast is a can of Monster energy drink, often on an empty stomach.
“The caffeine and sugar goes straight into their bloodstream.
“On one occasion, I stood outside an exam hall and 80 per cent of the students were drinking energy drinks.
“They thought it would boost their energy but it can lower their grade by 20 per cent.
“They struggle to concentrate.
“Their behaviour is off the charts.
“Many have depression and high-level anxiety attacks.
“Energy drinks are the common denominator.
“When they stop drinking them for two weeks, they drastically improve.”;
Before came to power, with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to under-16s, but the only UK-wide change has been a voluntary ban introduced by supermarkets.
Councils can restrict or , particularly to children, through exclusion zones around schools.
Lauren says: “They need to be banned completely.”;
Professor Amelia Lake, a dietitian and public health nutritionist with Teesside University, points out that although more adults than ever are using them for shift work or driving late at night, “they have no place in a child’s diet whatsoever”;.
She said: “We’ve heard horror stories of kids literally bouncing off the walls at school after drinking energy drinks in the morning.
“A group of ten-year-olds were high as kites during lessons and then barely able to sit up straight when the effects wore off.
“There have been assaults by 13-year-old pupils that resulted in their energy drinks being confiscated.”;
For a lot of students, their breakfast is a can of Monster energy drink, often on an empty stomach. The caffeine and sugar goes straight into their bloodstream
Lauren Morley
Darren Northcott, from teaching union NASUWT, said: “Teachers can restrict them at lunch and break times.
“But before and after school, we see excess consumption that impacts kids’ ability to learn.
“They aren’t getting enough sleep, so to counteract that effect, they have another energy drink.
“That becomes a vicious circle.”;
In 2023 from Edmonton, North London, “nearly died”; after drinking a £2 can of Prime.
His heart rate reached 145 beats per minute when it should only go up to 110.
Luan said: “He couldn’t breathe.”;
In some areas, one in three kids are drinking them every week.
We’ve heard horror stories of kids literally bouncing off the walls at school after drinking energy drinks in the morning
Professor Amelia Lake
When that rises to five days a week, the effects on their mental and physical health are devastating.
And research by Best Western Hotels has found that energy drinks are overtaking orange juice as the morning drink of choice.
Professor Lake says experts “don’t know the long-term health effects”;.
The drinks provide short bursts of energy that are followed by a massive crash, which makes it difficult to carry out basic tasks.
But when they were first introduced in the late Nineties, they were advertised as vitamin-packed mood boosters.
A strong association with star athletes — former striker downs a few cans of before every game — has added to their appeal.
is the most widely recognised brand. Nearly 13billion cans were sold worldwide last year.
But £1.85 cans of , which is part-owned by , are so popular they have protection caps on them in to try and combat shoplifters.
When Prime arrived in the UK in 2022, there was a frenzy to buy a limited supply after being hyped by social media influencers and judge KSI, who have a 20 per cent stake in the brand. By that year, sales of Prime hit $1.2billion.
A 330ml can of contains 140mg of caffeine — four times as much as Coca-Cola at 35mg.
A single shot of espresso contains between 47 and 75mg.
Greg Stafford, the Conservative MP for Farnham and Bordon, who is also a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, fears for pupils who are not even drinking energy drinks.
He said: “It’s disruptive for the other children in the class, who aren’t going to learn as well.
“We need to move rapidly to put an age limit on energy drinks because the protection of children is absolutely paramount.”;
Prime declined to comment.
