Is Caffeine Safe for Teens? Pediatricians Discuss New Beverage Guidelines

New guidelines from a group of experts have clarified healthy drink recommendations for kids, stressing that teenagers should avoid caffeine.

The guidance comes at a time when caffeinated drinks are seemingly skyrocketing in popularity among young people. Starbucks has become a popular haunt for teens, and influencer-backed energy drinks—many of which are caffeinated—have a massive reach online.

A nationally representative poll released last year by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found that about 25% of teens consume caffeine most days or every day.

According to the parents of teen caffeine-drinkers, soda was by far the most popular caffeine source in their kids' diet. About a third of respondents said their kids drank coffee or tea, while about 22% said their kids had caffeinated energy drinks.

“Chocolate is a big source, too,” Danelle Fisher, MD, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, told Health.

However, there are currently no federal guidelines on caffeine use in kids, which raises plenty of questions about whether it's okay for teens to consume these caffeinated products.

Here's what experts had to say about the science behind the new report, how caffeine affects kids' bodies, and what pediatricians want parents to know.

This new set of beverage recommendations was published by Healthy Eating Research, which is a national program from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation featuring work from researchers at Duke University.

Healthy Eating Research tapped experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association to create these evidence-based guidelines.

The report said children and teens should stick with simple drinks such as plain water and plain pasteurized milk, and should limit consumption of 100% juice, plant-based milks, and sweetened flavor milks.

The guidelines also say that kids should avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and drinks with artificial sweeteners, such as sports drinks, regular and diet soda, and lemonade.

Beverages with caffeine and other stimulants were also included in this 'avoid' category.

'Compared to adults, there is less certainty about the safe level of caffeine intake in children and adolescents,' the report said. 'Negative health effects, such as poor sleep patterns and high blood pressure, have been reported among adolescents.'

The guidance on caffeine is in line with that of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which says that avoiding caffeine is the “best choice” for kids.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which can make people feel more alert and energized. The effects usually peak within an hour of consumption, but can linger for four to six hours.

In adults, caffeine has been linked to benefits such as a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, and a decreased risk of memory loss.

However, caffeine does also interfere with the absorption of calcium in the body, and can increase blood pressure.

Caffeine is generally safe for adults—up to 400 milligrams per day—but the stimulant has different effects on kids' bodies, explained Megan Lott, MPH, RDN, deputy director of Policy and Research for Healthy Eating Research.

“Kids and teens have smaller bodies and rapidly developing brains, making them more susceptible to the negative effects of consuming too much caffeine,” she told Health.

Caffeine can interfere with sleep quality, increase blood pressure, and exacerbate mental health conditions in kids, she explained.

Additionally, researchers have found that young kids who drink caffeine have worse cognitive function, and that energy drinks raise kids' risk of adverse reactions from caffeine overconsumption, including headache, insomnia, mood swings, and upset stomach.

“Even small amounts of caffeine, like a cup of coffee, can have negative side effects,” Lott said.

The stimulant can also be jarring for teens who aren’t used to drinking it, Fisher said. “It can cause an increased heart rate, and make them feel a little anxious and jittery,” she said.

The caffeine in these beverages isn't the only cause for concern, said Lott—other ingredients that tend to show up in caffeinated drinks can also be problematic.

“Most caffeinated drinks popular with kids and teens also have large amounts of added sugars, non-sugar sweeteners, multiple stimulants such as caffeine and taurine, and other additives,” she said. “These ingredients are not recommended in isolation and are particularly cautioned against when combined.”

Overall, experts and research agree: Kids and teens don’t need caffeine.

“Caffeine itself is not necessary for a teen who is resting and eating well,” Edith Bracho Sanchez, MD, pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Health.

But pediatricians also agreed that, though caffeine shouldn't be a staple in teens' diets, they don't necessarily need to avoid it entirely.

“Not taking anything on a daily basis would be healthiest,” Fisher said. “But I do think it’s OK for a teenager to have a cup of tea or a soda periodically, as long as they don’t have extreme effects from it.”

“I usually encourage a balanced approach rather than strict avoidance,” added Andrew Carlson, MD, medical director of Connecticut Children's Division of Primary Care.

Teens should keep their caffeine intake below a 'reasonable' limit of 100 milligrams per day, which is similar to what is found in an 8-ounce cup of coffee, Carlson told Health.

It's also best that teens cut off caffeine consumption by early afternoon, avoid energy drinks (which can have 'dangerously high' caffeine levels), and be mindful of any signs of caffeine dependency, such as needing caffeine to stay awake, he said.

Though teens live busy lives, they shouldn't 'need to have caffeine every day in order to wake up in the morning,' said Fisher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high school students need eight hours of sleep each night. So reliance on caffeine could be a sign that something is off with your teen's sleep schedule, she said.

“Is it the end of the world if you’re out as a family and your teen wants a latte? No, it isn’t,” Bracho Sanchez said. “But I also wouldn’t make it a daily occurrence.”