Teens Should Never Have Caffeine, According to New Guidelines

Teens have a lot of options when it comes to eating and drinking caffeinated products, and many do just that. In fact, research shows that nearly a quarter of teens have caffeine all or most days of the week. But new guidelines from a nutrition research group say that’s bad news, stressing that teens shouldn’t have caffeine — at all.

The guidelines, which were released by Healthy Eating Research and created by a panel of experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association, spell out beverage recommendations for kids between the ages of five and 18.

According to the recommendations, it is best for children in this age group to stick to water and plain milk. They should also limit their intake of 100% juice, as well as plant-based and flavored milks — while altogether avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages, drinks containing artificial sweeteners, and beverages with caffeine and other stimulants.

Related: It's Time to Fall in Love With Decaf, According to These Specialty Coffee Experts

The recommendations clearly state that “kids should avoid drinking beverages with any amount of caffeine, including tea, coffee, and energy drinks,” noting that there’s uncertainty about safe levels of caffeine in kids and teens.

There is currently no federal guidance on how much caffeine is safe for kids and teens, although the Food and Drug Administration says that most healthy adults can safely have up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.

The guidance has raised a lot of questions about the impact of caffeine on kids, plus where teens are most likely to encounter it. Here’s what you need to know.

How does caffeine impact kids?

Caffeine is a stimulant that occurs naturally in more than 60 plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, and kola nuts, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. But there are also synthetic forms of caffeine that are added to certain foods and drinks, including energy drinks.

“Caffeine has addictive properties,” says Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “Too much caffeine can cause sleep issues, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Caffeine withdrawal is also no fun. That can cause headaches.”

The biggest concern with caffeine and kids is that many beverages marketed to teens contain large amounts of caffeine. “Think 200 to 300 milligrams,” Alan says. “That amount is large, even for adults.”

Having large amounts of caffeine can cause these symptoms, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• Restlessness and shakiness

• Insomnia

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Fast heart rate

• Dehydration

• Anxiety

• Dependency

“Caffeine can be a very useful tool in adulthood but can also cause many unwanted side effects like higher heart rate and blood pressure, feelings of anxiety, and difficulty sleeping,” says Ansley Schulte, MD, pediatric medical director at KidsPeace. “The habits that are set in teen years also lay the foundation for lifelong health. It is better to avoid these high-caffeine drinks while the brain is still in a period of rapid development and forming lifelong habits.”

The biggest sources of caffeine for kids

Caffeine can be found in many products, but kids are most likely to encounter caffeine from these sources, according to the guidance:

• Decaf coffee or tea (2-15 milligrams)

• Bottled iced tea (20-80 milligrams)

• Regular soda (35-55 milligrams)

• Black or green tea (55 milligrams)

• Coffee (80-200 milligrams)

• Energy shots (200-250 milligrams)

• Energy drinks (150-300 milligrams)

But caffeine also shows up in sneaky ways in some foods and drinks. Those include:

• “Charged” drinks

• Chocolate bars

• Some protein bars

• Chocolate chips

• Ice cream

• “Energy boosting” gums and snacks

Even some drinks that seem like they wouldn’t have caffeine, such as the Starbucks Açaí Refresher, contain the stimulant. (A grande version has up to 55 milligrams of caffeine.) Panera removed the Charged Lemonade from its menu in 2024 after multiple lawsuits claimed the drink caused health issues in people who were unaware of its high caffeine content.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to know how much caffeine is in a particular product. “Caffeine content is not always shown on nutrition labels,” says Megan Lott, MPH, RDN, deputy director of Policy and Research for Healthy Eating Research.

Should kids really avoid caffeine entirely?

The latest guidance says yes. That also echoes advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that states, “Avoiding caffeine is the best choice for all kids.”

Gina Posner, MD, a pediatrician at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, CA, agrees. “I definitely tell patients to stay away from it,” she says. “I’ve found that if I give permission with my patients to have any, then they take it as they can have a lot.” Posner points out that caffeine is a stimulant, and it can impact younger bodies differently than those of adults.

Schulte also recommends that patients steer clear. “I advise limiting caffeine as much as possible due to side effects like poor sleep and anxiety,” she says.

Energy drinks are particularly concerning, she says. “There have been teenagers who have died from energy drinks,” Posner points out. “Adults shouldn’t even be drinking those things.” But Posner says “it’s not the end of the world” if a teen has caffeine here and there. “You just really want to minimize it,” she adds.

Alan also says that parents shouldn’t panic if their child has the odd caffeinated product. “An occasional beverage with lower amounts of caffeine — one cup of coffee, a latte with one shot of espresso, or a can of soda — is likely perfectly fine for teens,” she says. “The bigger concern is the plethora of beverages available that contain much larger amounts of caffeine.”

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