Teenagers may be consuming too much caffeine everyday, study says

BOSTON - Parents may need to "perk up" when it comes to monitoring their teens' caffeine intake.

A team at the University of Michigan surveyed parents of children ages 13 to 18 and found that 1 in 4 says their teen consumes caffeine every day or nearly every day. Two-thirds think they know whether their teen is consuming too much caffeine, but a third of parents do not know the recommended limit.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages caffeine use at all, while other experts suggest a limit of 100 mg of caffeine a day for teens, equivalent to an 8-ounce cup of coffee.  

Too much caffeine in kids can affect their mood, sleep, and school performance, can cause headaches, stomachaches, and heart palpitations, and can lead to dependency over time.  

If you think your child is overdoing it, suggest non-caffeinated options both inside and outside the home, set a good example by cutting back on your own caffeine intake, and enlist the help of your child's pediatrician.

In:
• Caffeine
• University of Michigan

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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