Dear Laura... my preteen wants to drink Red Bull, what should I do? And does sugar affect kids' concentration?

Welcome to ‘Dear Laura’ - a monthly column where I fashion myself as an agony aunt and answer the questions that readers submit. If you’d like to send in a question for me to answer next month, you can submit it here.

I’m happy to answer Qs about anti-diet nutrition, developing a more peaceful relationship to food and weight-inclusive health, annoying diet trends and news stories, body image challenges, and, of course, challenges with feeding your kiddos. Please give as much detail as you’re comfortable with and let me know if you’d like me to include your name or keep it anon.

Please remember that these answers are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical or nutritional advice; please speak to your GP or a qualified nutrition professional if you need further support.

Dear Laura, 

My 12 year old has been asking me about buying energy drinks. Now they’re in secondary school, they tend to go to the shop with their friends after school to spend their pocket money. It seems a few of the kids are buying energy drinks. I don’t have any issues with them getting crisps and sweets, but energy drinks feel different because they’re high in caffeine. For now I’ve been saying no but is this just a hangover from diet culture, or should I actually be concerned?

So here’s the thing. I don’t know that there’s a right or a wrong answer here. I know what The Official Party Line is. And I also don’t think that approach will work for a lot of (pre)teens. 

Here’s The Official Party Line. 

In September of this year, a motion was passed in Parliament banning the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to under 16s. High caffeine in this instance is defined as 150mg caffeine per litre. 

It’s not entirely clear when this ban will come into effect, but if you thought they were already banned, it’s because in 2018 large supermarket chains adopted a policy to stop selling high caffeine drinks to under 16s. It’s not clear how universally this is applied, and it doesn’t include smaller retailers, vending machines, cafes and so on. This new policy will effectively cover those outlets not included in the supermarket policy.

So what does 150mg per litre look like in practice?

Red Bull contains 320mg of caffeine per litre, meaning each 250ml can contains 80mg of caffeine.

BOOST Energy contains 300mg of caffeine per litre, meaning a 250ml can contains 75mg of caffeine.

Prime Energy drinks contain 425mg of caffeine per litre, meaning each 330ml can contains 140mg of caffeine.

For reference, a shot of espresso contains around 80mg caffeine, the same as around 2 cans of cola.

High caffeine drinks already carry a warning label saying they’re not suitable for children. 

This is because, according to the government, ‘there is growing evidence linking these drinks to harmful effects on children, including disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, poor concentration and reduced educational outcomes’.