Digital Smarts - Energy Drinks and Young Gamers – Bad Mix

Energy drinks have a new marketing strategy underway, and the target demographic is young gamers. Though on the surface it could seem innocuous, there are some real issues. A 2014 study conducted by the University of Minnesota suggested that boys who drank energy drinks on a weekly basis spent around four more hours playing video games per week than boys who did not consume energy drinks as often.

Even worse, there are very real health risks associated with consuming these kinds of drinks that are especially dangerous for teens. A March 2015 study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity noted that teens and adolescents who consumed highly caffeinated energy drinks could experience health issues including social, emotional and behavioral problems. Moreover, hospital emergency room visits by teens as a result of energy drinks jumped 30 percent between 2007 and 2011, and just last year The New York Times reported a 14-year-old in Norway “collapsed and fell into a coma after reportedly drinking four liters of energy drinks during a 16-hour Call of Duty party at his school.” The purchase and consumption of these kinds of beverages is something to watch out for if you have teenagers at home.