More Teens Are Ending Up in the ER from Caffeine

Written by Eunseo Whaong

Current Situation

For a lot of teens, mornings start with more than just breakfast — things like iced coffee, energy drinks, and sports beverages are becoming part of their daily routine. But doctors are warning that this habit is starting to send more kids to the hospital.

A new study from Epic Research found that ER visits linked to caffeine have more than doubled for kids ages 11 to 14 between 2017 and 2023. Older teens also saw a major increase over the same period.

Dr. Alok Patel from Stanford Children's Health says the problem isn’t new — but it’s getting worse.

"Even with all the warnings about side effects, kids and teens are still consuming caffeinated beverages,"

he explains.

The data also shows that boys are visiting the ER more often than girls when it comes to caffeine-related issues.

So how much is too much?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens stay under 100 milligrams of caffeine a day — about the same as a small cup of coffee.

But many drinks on store shelves easily exceed that.

"Most people don’t realize that a single can of some energy drinks can have 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine,"

says Dr. Patel. "And any kid can walk into a store and buy one."

With no age restrictions and flashy marketing, doctors say the trend could keep rising unless people start paying attention to what’s actually inside those cans.