It will be an offence for retailers in England to sell high-caffeine energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16 from April 2027, with shopkeepers who breach the rules facing fines of up to £2,500.
The regulations, proposed last year and now green-lit for April, will outlaw drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre, making it illegal to sell Red Bull, Monster. Relentless (all 320mg/l) and similar drinks to anyone younger than 16 years old.
Despite espresso containing as much as 2,000mg of caffeine per litre, coffee, as well as tea, will be exempt from the rules, while traditional colas (c40mg) do not contain enough of the drug to fall under them, but retailers who sell energy drinks to under-16s will face fines, which will be issued by councils.
The Department of Health and Social Care estimates 100,000 children consume energy drinks, with youngsters from deprived areas and households most likely to drink them.
Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson says energy drinks “have no place in children’s hands”, because the “evidence is clear that this can cause anxiety, affect their sleep and concentration and can have a detrimental impact on their education”.
Education Minister Olivia Bailey adds that the drinks “undermine” children’s “health and focus in the classroom”.
The energy-drink rule, subject to parliamentary approval, is the latest piece of legislation targeting young people. It follows the generational tobacco ban, which, when it comes into force in January, will ban anyone born before 2009 from ever buying cigarettes; and the social-media ban and curfew, which will preclude under-16s from apps like Instagram and TikTok, and switch off features like auto-playing videos and infinite scrolling from midnight to 6am for those aged 16 and 17.
