Junior Isabel Sagami is a daily caffeine drinker, similar to countless teenagers.
“It’s easy to start one day because everybody’s drinking all these fun drinks like Alanis and Celsius,” Sagami said. “Then you just want to try one, and then realize, why would I not be drinking these and getting energy from a bottle?”
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 73% of children and teenagers consume caffeine on any given day.
Junior Mia Pyka said she started drinking caffeine at the start of high school. “I really needed the extra boost to get through the day,” Pyka said.
Similarly, Sagami’s caffeine intake began freshman year. “I used to get a Celsius every day in the morning, and then it kind of just went up from there,” Sagami said.
Junior Brooke Schneider said she believes that caffeine culture is extremely normalized for many teenagers. Despite the common trend of caffeine use, Sagami says that she does not know a lot about the effects of caffeine.
With the amount of caffeine consumed by teens, education and awareness on the severity of the effects of caffeine addiction is highly unaddressed. There is a lack of education and a spread of misinformation.
Schneider said her mother tells her that it causes cancer. Pyka said, “I’ve heard that it stunts growth, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
Those are both long-standing myths and misinformation about caffeine. Caffeine is not a carcinogen, according to the American Cancer Institute. Also, it does not stunt growth, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The increase in caffeine consumption is far ahead of the awareness and education of consumers, as well as researchers and scholars.
Since the early 2000s, there has been an increasing trend in energy drink consumption, and energy drink sales are six times higher than they used to be. There has also been double as many caffeine related visits to the emergency room, according to the CDC.
“Alanis are definitely centered towards teens and stuff, so it’ll be very promoted towards our age group,” Schneider said.
Marketing also plays a big role in the growth of caffeine culture. Many energy drinks are packaged and advertised to appeal to a younger audience. According to Torrence Memorial Hospital, Dr. Rhea Matthews said, “Energy drinks and coffee-based beverages are being marketed like candy — colorful, trendy names, celebrity tie-ins. They’re placed where teens will see them, just like sugary cereals at kid-eye level. It’s intentional.”
Despite the increase in ER visits, caffeine toxicity in young adults is mainly a result of ingesting greater amounts of caffeine along with alcohol and drugs, according to the CDC. But the rules and regulations around energy drinks are both understudied and underregulated, according to Torrence Memorial Hospital. The caffeine content of energy drinks is not currently regulated by the FDA, due to the stimulant being considered dietary supplements, according to the CDC.
Caffeine is considered a stimulant drug — it is the most commonly used drug in the world, according to the National Institutes of Health. Habitual overusers of caffeine can develop caffeine dependance, which is considered a clinical disorder. Abuse of caffeine can cause behavioral and physiological effects similar to dependence on other addictive drugs, according to the NIH.
While these are examples of long term effects, there are fewer extreme short term effects, including spiking the body’s natural stress response. According to Cleveland State University Clinic, sleepiness is a result of a buildup of the compound adenosine in the brain. Adenosine slows down nerve cell activity, which causes the tired feeling. Caffeine binds to receptors in the brain so that it cannot sense the adenosine. This blocks feelings of drowsiness, but increases nerve cell activity. This causes the brain to stress, as it assumes an emergency is occurring so it releases adrenaline and sugar, causing a boost of energy.
This cycle creates the addictive aspect of caffeine. Once the buzz wears off, the body becomes fatigued and depressed, facing caffeine withdrawals. It can create cycles of anxiety and poor sleep, where the consumer would then reach for more caffeine. It is easy to get caught up chasing the energy boost that these drinks give you according to Torrence Memorial.
“I think that once you have it, you gotta keep having it, ’cause then you get yourself in the mindset, and you’re, like, oh, I need this now,” Schneider said.
For adults, daily doses of caffeine up to 400mg are considered safe, but can create dependence and mild side effects such as anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, irritability, muscle twitches/tremors, agitation, and irregular heart rates, according to the NIH.
“When I’m having heartburn or my heart is racing, I get scared that’s the energy drinks,” Sagami said. “And then I’m like, oh my God, I cannot get them again.”
Growing teen bodies are often more sensitive to the effects of caffeine. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends ages 12-18 do not exceed 100 – 200mg per day.
While caffeine consumption comes with side effects, sometimes students find that a boost of energy is necessary to get through a busy day. “I think so many teens rely on caffeine because it’s so hard with all the work and late nights we have,” Pyka said. “We don’t have a lot of hours to sleep to be energized for the day.”
When caffeine is consumed in a controlled way, it can help with alertness and cognitive function, endurance and exercise, and boosting overall mood, according to the American Medical Association. The issue is not caffeine itself. It is the growth in consumption without education and knowledge following.
For many Lane students, caffeine is a common part of their lifestyle and culture. As Pyka said, “I just don’t know a lot about the effects, but I feel like a lot of teens think they need it just to get through school, and it’s just very normalized.”
