Red Bull ban for under-16s: £2,500 fine for selling high-caffeine energy drinks to schoolchildren

Red Bull ban for under-16s: £2,500 fine for selling high-caffeine energy drinks to schoolchildren - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Children under 16 will be banned from buying energy drinks in England from next year, the Government has announced. The ban will apply to drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre but will not include tea or coffee. It also does not include lower-caffeine soft drinks including Coca‑Cola, Coca‑Cola Zero, Diet Coke and Pepsi. However, drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime, will all breach the limit. Retailers will be responsible for ensuring the drinks are not sold to under-16s and those that fail to do so face fines of up to £2,500. It is thought that around 100,000 children consume at least one high-caffeine energy drink a day. The new rules aim to reduce obesity levels in children as well as prevent issues such as disrupted sleep, increased anxiety and lack of concentration, as well as poorer school results. Drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Prime, will no longer be able to be sold to under-16s Energy drink PRIME became an instant success largely due to its appeal with under-16s The new rules will come in via secondary legislation using powers from the Food Safety Act 1990, and the ban is planned to come into force in April 2027, subject to parliamentary approval. Public health minister Sharon Hodgson said: 'High-caffeine energy drinks have no place in children's hands. 'We know thousands of kids in England consume them daily but the evidence is clear that this can cause anxiety, affect their sleep and concentration and can have a detrimental impact on their education. 'This ban will reduce children's opportunity to buy drinks that are harmful to their health and wellbeing, and demonstrates our firm commitment to creating the healthiest generation of children ever.' Teachers' union the NASUWT welcomed the ban. Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers' Union, said: 'We have long campaigned for a ban on the sale of these types of energy drinks to children and young people. It has been more than two years since Keir Starmer pledged that a Labour Government would act to ban access to energy drinks for children and young people, and restrictions are long overdue. 'Teachers and school leaders continue to see first-hand on a daily basis the contribution energy drinks can make to poor pupil behaviour and pupils' ability to concentrate in class.' The British Soft Drinks Association said the ban was 'unnecessary'. A spokesperson said: 'BSDA members have led the way in responsible retailing through the association's long-standing voluntary code of practice. 'Since 2010, our members have committed not to market or promote the sale of energy drinks to under-16s, and all high-caffeine beverages carry a 'not recommended for children' label. 'The available evidence shows that the vast majority of caffeine consumed by children and adolescents comes from sources other than energy drinks. 'The UK Government's decision to introduce legislation restricting the sale of energy drinks to under-16s in England is unnecessary – and not supported by robust evidence of overconsumption or harm, as the consultation response itself acknowledges.' In January 2022, hydration drink PRIME made around £200million in one year after being launched by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul. KSI and Logan Paul pictured launching a sponsorship deal with Bayern Munich after launching their energy drink PRIME The energy drink became an instant must-have for teenagers, even leading to queues outside supermarkets in the early days of the company. Its success was largely credited to appealing to a younger demographic - with the stars fronting the business and collaborations with football teams including Bayern Munich and Arsenal. The move follows the Government's ban on social media for under-16s and a further midnight curfew for under-18s. From midnight to 6am every night, their access to popular social media will be switched off. Features that are designed to keep teens scrolling for longer will also be switched off by default for older teenagers. This includes videos that automatically play one after another and feeds that continually serve up personalised content.