Energy drinks to be banned to under 16’s. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Yes, the scheme here in Scotland is voluntary at present. However, I don't think it works in practice, given the amount of kids under 16 I regularly see with them. Our next door neighbour has a 14-year-old son who buys them on a daily basis from our corner shop - we regularly see him walking back with several cans of Red Bull or Monster.

These drinks are not good for any age ,, the Gives you wings ads are very funny , but it is the caffeine ans sugar that makes them not funny

Ilovecheese

How will this work with vending machines?

The vending machine does not stock itself. The person responsible for it will have to remove Red Bull and replace it with something else. After all you don’t see cans of alchohol in vending machines.

I work in a nursery with younger staff who drink these by the bucket load late nights early morning! Can’t say I’d fancy them.

If we are out for a walk with a view to picking up litter, we end up with more Red Bull and Monster cans than anything else. Perhaps there is a ban on anyone who owns a bin buying them?

How will this work with vending machines?

I have to agree with NathanaelWest here, of course caffeine heavy drinks are unhealthy etc but I do also have concerns about government interference in daily life. Where do we draw the line?

I think it's a good thing and hopefully it works,although I don't think it will happen overnight but hopefully in a few years we will start to see of these restrictions together with bans of social media and cigarette and vapes.

it's not just red bull it's monster andmonster type. They are n huge cans and students are drinking a couple for breakfast

I think they need banning altogether
they can't be good for anyone's health? what does it do to people's hearts long term?

Wish they would do that over here. Energy drinks are very dangerous.

When I worked in a school I could see the behaviour go downhill in the afternoon after some of the pupils had been on their energy drinks.

They are very addictive and can cause liver and kidney damage.

Some parents would put them in packed lunches.

The school grounds were littered with cans and bottles of monster, relentless, lucozade etc.

“It gives you wings” according to the current spate of Red Bull adverts on the TV. With all the sport on at present I guess this adds to the attraction. We stock it at our sports bar so I will discontinue when stocks have gone, not that many people are ordering it. I don’t think it’s as popular as it was. There is a sugar free version. I have known it was popular at one time with over 18’s to mix it with vodka.

Many years ago I tried TabClear…….it was supposed to taste like Coca Cola I think but was a clear drink. It was awful and gave me a really severe headache! I don’t even know if it’s still available but it had to be full of all manner of nasty stuff surely?!
The only fizzy drink I have now is soda water which we fizzy at home in the soda stream thingy and I might occasionally have a glass of lager in the pub……..otherwise, nothing out of a can.

Bluebelle, I think the bans do help.They're not naive enough to imagine no under 16's will ever get their hands on energy drinks, but it makes it more difficult & anything that nmakes it more difficult ultimately does reduce usage (like the smkokefree workplace laws).
My elder son did get addicted to cola when he was about 16, I told him he'd have diabetes by the time he was 30 & he did manage to stop -but has a coffee habit instead...

The retailers can be fined up to £2,500.

www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/energy-drinks-high-caffeine-banned-under-16s-england

How is it going to be policed ?
Kids buy or get alcohol bought for them, how on earth will they police canned drinks. It just needs an older child or a child that looks older to buy them, or even parents You can hear Joe bloggs saying “you can’t tell me what I can give my child, never did me any harm”
Kids are still vaping, smoking, buying alcohol.
You’re only allowed two packets of paracetamol but
we ve all bought two then walked round the shop for five minutes and bought another two or walked straight in the next store and bought two These bans usually turn out pointless and are in name only

I have never had one of these, wouldn’t fancy it. However, when I was at uni some of us used to take ProPlus tablets ( caffeine) in large quantities so we could stay up all night swotting for exams. Probably just as bad. Never gave our health a second thought which I suppose is what you are like when you are young .

nexus63

energy drinks for under 16s already banned in scotland since 2018. now england has decided it is a good idea.

Factcheck

There has been a voluntary ban in Scotland which supermarkets adhere to but as it's voluntary smaller retailers often do not enforce the ban. There is no mandatory ban in Scotland but let's hope they follow England's lead. Scotgov published the results of a consultation exercise in 2023 (I think) so they're catching up.

energy drinks for under 16s already banned in scotland since 2018. now england has decided it is a good idea.

I am in two minds about this. I think kids should not drink these energy drinks as they contain too much sugar or caffeine or both.

I also think social media is not healthy for kids. Not really healthy for anyone really.

But I also feel conflicted about the banning of things as I think this can backfire.

Vapes are banned for anyone born after 2009, but tons of kids seem to acquire vapes. Where do they get them? Some shops still sell them to kids. Or they get them online.

Sorry if I sound like I am sitting on a fence here but this is a bit more complicated than a basic ban in my opinion.