Child Caffeine Consumption Has Gone Too Far
According to Terence Patterson, APA Div.43 (Family) President “Caffeine can stimulate immature neurological systems beyond children’s ability to tolerate it, which can have serious effects.”
Unfortunately, very few studies have been done regarding the physical or psychological effects of caffeine use on children.
Researchers are finally beginning to take notice though, as 75 percent of children consume some form of caffeine every day.
Many parents do to let their young children have coffee because of its very high caffeine content. Instead, parents opt for serving high calorie, caffeinated sodas like Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. But, children who consume more than one 12 ounce of soda a day are 60 percent more likely to develop childhood obesity.
Caffeine is absorbed by every tissue in the body. It alters attention span, can causes troubles in sleep and has been shown to have especially negative symptoms on children already prone to anxiety and depression.
Caffeine is a drug. It is a stimulant.It causes withdrawal symptoms, headache, fatigue and lack of motivation. Caffeine can creative a vicious cycle, where heavy use keeps you awake and tired in the morning, leading to more heavy use the next morning, just to maintain a normal level of energy. But,once the caffeine leaves your body, you experience the inevitable crash.
As with most things, using caffeine in low, moderate doses will probably not harm your child in any long-lasting way. But, energy drinks are starting to carve out a large portion of the caffeine pie. Many of these drinks are marketed specifically to young people. Some of them contain over 14 times the amount of caffeine that’s in a standard can of soda. Though many energy drink cans are labeled “not recommended for children under 16”, they can be purchased over the counter by anyone with a couple of bucks.
Consumption of these high powered energy drinks by young people can cause symptoms like: muscle twitching, abnormal heart activity, rapid, racing heartbeat, and psycho-motor agitation. Among pre-teen users, difficulties concentrating and increased anxiety levels are common problems of overuse.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Childhood caffeine consumption has not been found to inhibit growth, as the common myth would suggest.
*http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun01/dangersip.aspx
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