According to the CDC, 30% to 50% of adolescents consume energy drinks. Why wouldn’t they? It’s an efficient way to power through a long day, get through a grueling finals week or increase performance level in sports. But is this benefit too good to be true? Is the cost too steep to be worth it? The research and available studies say yes.

When walking around Archer’s campus, one is bound to come across at least one student holding an energy drink can like Celsius, Monster Energy or Red Bull. However, this specific category of beverage has effects deeper than just a “quick boost” — its impacts can be detrimental, especially for teens.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends that children ages 12 to 18 consume no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day, but energy drinks generally have 54 to 328 milligrams of caffeine per 16 fluid ounces.

According to the National Library of Medicine, energy drinks also contain high amounts of sugar and other additives, including legal stimulants such as guarana, taurine and L-carnitine. These added stimulants are known to have some positive effects, such as helping support and sustain alertness. However, they can also raise blood pressure, heart and breathing rates, all which can have side effects like dehydration, heart complications  — including cardiac arrest and ventricular fibrillation — anxiety and insomnia. 

In addition to these detrimental effects, studies have found that energy drinks can cause harm to internal organs. Overconsuming energy drinks is known to have led to severe outcomes, including strokes, acute kidney injury, gastrointestinal disturbances and seizures.

From 2017 to 2023, the number of emergency department visits pertaining to caffeine overdose and adverse side effects roughly doubled for adolescents aged 11 to 18. Although these extreme outcomes are not common, they are something that teens and schools — nationally and internationally — need to be aware of. 

Students have a multitude of responsibilities at school and want to find a way to perform well in all of their classes. Teens are often involved in after-school commitments that take up a lot of their time, or they live far away from their school and do not get home until late at night. Energy drinks can seem like a quick and relatively easy solution to help one maximize stamina, productivity and time. Still, the long-term effects that energy drinks can have on teens’ hormones and developing bodies and minds are not worth it.

According to Endocrine Aspects, teens risk significant hormonal imbalances that can stunt growth, stress management and reproductive health when they consume energy drinks. Energy drinks contain excessive amounts of caffeine that increase cortisol levels, which can cause heightened stress and the possibility of suppressed reproductive hormones.

Caffeine is also known to delay the production of melatonin, which can interfere with sleep-wake cycles and overall sleep quality. The high levels of sugar found in energy drinks can impair insulin sensitivity, which puts teens more at risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes. Is putting a bit of pep in your step worth the risk of developing diabetes, being stressed out and jeopardizing fertility? Let’s ask the doctors. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that energy drinks should not be consumed by teens because of their negative effects and instead advocates for less harmful options, like juice and milk. The CDC states that 75% of school districts in America do not have a policy about the sale of highly caffeinated drinks at school.

Archer’s servery does not sell energy drinks. However, approximately 11.65% of high schools in certain districts of America do. Considering the proven, detrimental side effects energy drinks can cause, more school administrators should consider limiting the consumption of these drinks on campus.

As the rate of teens consuming energy drinks continues to rise, academic institutions need to begin fighting against this. Schools should not be selling energy drinks to teens, and they should implement restrictive policies against these damaging beverages. Failure to do so is an endorsement of something that is dangerous for the health of teens and people in general.

Some people might think that restricting the sale or consumption of energy drinks on campuses is unfair to teens and that students should have autonomy in what they choose to eat and drink. However, schools have previously imposed justifiable limits on potentially harmful products, such as certain medications, substances and even technology. 

Two years ago, Jonathan Haidt’s critically acclaimed book “The Anxious Generation” outlined the damage of smartphones on teens’ mental health. Schools nationwide — and internationally — have responded by restricting smartphone use on campus. We shouldn’t wait for someone to write a bestselling book detailing the harmful effects of energy drinks on teens — we already have all the information we need.