Should children be allowed to buy energy drinks?

A 12 week consultation on banning the sale of energy drinks to children has begun with the Health Secretary Wes Streeting stating that most parents would welcome a ban.

Although the proposed ban would initially apply to children aged under 16 in England, Northern Ireland teaching unions have voiced support for Labour’s plan.

Justin McCamphill, Northern Ireland National Official the National Association of Schoolmasters  and Union of Women Teachers said the UK Government’s intention to ban the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds in England is a very welcome step.  Teachers report that these drinks are a significant contributor to disrupted classrooms, poor pupil behaviour, and an inability to concentrate, directly impacting the quality of education. National secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers in Northern Ireland, Dr Graham Gault, believes drinks which are high in caffeine and in sugar are not consistent with a healthy diet for children.

There are calls on the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce similar legislation to ensure children here are afforded the same level of protection.

While energy drinks might seem harmless, they contain very high levels of caffeine, and while most adults can consume caffeine in reasonably moderate amounts without harm, children process it differently. Their developing bodies are more sensitive to certain drugs and there is a body of evidence that suggests younger brains are seriously affected by caffeine.

A study has shown that caffeine intake negatively impacted all the cognitive measures of brain performance such as vocabulary comprehension, reading decoding, inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility,processing speed and episodic memory.

The NI Department of Health said that while there are currently no plans to implement a similar ban in Northern Ireland, the department is aware of concerns about the high levels of caffeine and sugar in these drinks, so they will keep developments across the UK under review.

We await the outcome of the consultation and what, if anything, will happen in Northern Ireland, as a result.