How much caffeine is safe for your teen?

Health & Wellness |

02/04/2025

Teens and caffeine Thrive

For adults, caffeine often delivers the morning boost of energy and brain power. Unfortunately, this stimulant is increasingly overused by children.

While caffeine-related emergency room visits are rare, recent research found they have doubled among middle- and high-school students over the past six years. When children and adolescents have too much caffeine, it can cause irregular heartbeats, anxiety, hyperactivity, high blood pressure, sleep problems, dehydration and digestion problems. The research found that boys are generally twice as likely as girls to have too much caffeine. You can recognize a caffeine overdose by symptoms of vomiting or a racing heart rate.

It's also dangerous for children to have high levels of caffeine consumption over a long period of time because their bodies are still developing. While caffeine can provide a mental and physical boost, studies show that it negatively effects children’s sleep, which can impact body weight, growth and mood.

When kids consume caffeine over the long term, they run the risk of having:

  • Higher levels of stress hormones
  • Irritability
  • Increased cravings for more caffeine
  • Withdrawal symptoms when they stop caffeine
  • Greater difficulty limiting other substances, like nicotine or alcohol

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says kids should avoid all caffeinated and sugary drinks. Instead, kids should drink water, which hydrates the body, or milk, which offers important vitamins and nutrients.

While it’s ideal for kids to avoid caffeine until the age of 18, it’s reasonable to set a limit for older kids. There are guidelines for children ages 12 to 18 that suggest a limit of 100 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is about two cans of soda or eight ounces of coffee. (Adults should limit caffeine intake to 400 milligrams, which is about two to three cups of coffee a day.) However, caffeine can be found in places you might not expect.

Common sources of caffeine

More than 70% of children in the United States consume caffeine each day. When you think about caffeine, beverages like coffee, tea or soda probably come to mind. While your kid may not drink drip coffee out of the pot at home, teens and pre-teens are increasingly drinking flavored coffee and energy drinks. These two beverages have the highest amount of caffeine available: coffee delivers 113 to 247 milligrams of caffeine and energy drinks contain 41 to 246 milligrams (compared to 23 to 83 mg in a soft drink or 37 mg in green tea.)

The AAP says drinks like soda, lemonade and energy or sports drinks also increase kids’ risk for excessive weight gain, tooth decay, heart problems, diabetes and sleep problems. Energy drinks are also loaded with sugar. Pediatricians link energy drinks to hyperactivity, anxiety and poor decision-making in teens.

However, there’s also caffeine in food we eat. It’s important to read food labels because ice cream, chocolate, bubble gum, energy bars and some medications also contain caffeine.

“Caffeine can be hidden in unexpected places,” said Benjamin Bacon, MD, a pediatrician at Riley Children’s Health. “Sometimes items marketed or labeled as ‘healthy options’ can actually have relatively high levels of caffeine or sugar, especially in flavored beverages.”

Also keep in mind that “decaffeinated” coffees and teas still contain some of the stimulant. Together with popular beverages, these foods can add to a growing intake of daily caffeine.

How to address caffeine use in kids

A simple first step for parents is to involve their teen in choosing non-caffeinated options to have at home. By normalizing drinking and eating healthier options and engaging the teens in the decision-making process, kids can develop better habits.

Kids will still be exposed to caffeinated drinks and snacks outside of the home. Advertisements, social media and peers will often introduce teens to a variety of sugary and caffeinated drinks. In fact, many schools sell energy drinks in vending machines, even though the National Federation of State High School Associations says student athletes should not drink them.

It’s important for parents to talk to their kids about caffeine: what it is, how it affects the body and the kinds of drinks and foods that have it. A recent poll of parents of teens found that one in three parents haven’t set caffeine limits for their teens. Talk to your kids about caffeine and decide on a healthy daily goal.

One study found that adolescents who consumed less caffeine knew more about

nutrition and had better eating and sleeping habits compared to their high caffeine-intake counterparts. Regardless of age, simply knowing the side effects of caffeine and being aware of individual habits can help to shape them.

If you are still concerned about your child’s caffeine intake, make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician or family medicine physician to talk about how to reduce intake. If your child has developed a dependency on caffeine, it is helpful to have a doctor’s support in reducing intake while addressing any withdrawal symptoms.

Related Doctor

Benjamin S. Bacon, MD

Benjamin S. Bacon, MD

Pediatrics