How Old Do You Have To Be To Drink Red Bull?

Red Bull is a caffeine-containing energy drink that has no age restriction to it. Thus, legally, anyone can drink Red Bull.

The AHA strongly advises against drinking it due to the harm caused by concentrated amounts of caffeine and sugar in it. Yet, there are no federal laws in place to age-restrict this energy drink in the US.

So how old should you be to drink Red Bull? Do you think you need to restrict your consumption of this over-caffeinated energy drink?

This is what we will be going over in this article. We shall also try to understand why is there a need to age-restrict this drink.

Countries like France, Denmark, and Norway have acknowledged the long-term harm caused due to this energy drink and have banned it in their countries. Let us discuss this in great detail.

Are There Age Restrictions On Drinking Red Bull?

There are no age restrictions on drinking Red Bull in the US. This is why there is no legal requirement to pull out an ID for children under 16 years old to sell caffeinated energy drinks to them.

Red Bull is one of the biggest and most popular brands of energy drinks currently available in the market.

Most famous among the young students and athletes, Red Bull has been around for a long time which is probably why no one ever questions the age of the people who drink it.

The nutritional facts on the can should be enough to scare the younglings from this drink. However, that is not a fact.

Federally, there is no law regarding energy drinks in the US as long as they pass the non-alcoholic test.

Some cities or stores do not sell Red Bull to children under 16 and have tried to restrict them too but so far, no law has been passed regarding the same.

Because of the absence of federal laws regarding this, anyone can buy these energy drinks easily.

The only energy drink to have restrictions was the one containing alcohol and thus, was taken off the shelf.

Is Red Bull An Alcoholic Beverage?

Red Bull is a non-alcoholic energy drink and also contains high levels of caffeine and sugar.

It is a functional drink that is supposed to stimulate your body and mind into better working states.

FDA, Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency responsible to check for the alcohol levels in drinks across the US along with TTB. 

FDA does not have specific categories or regulations for energy drinks.

Since energy drinks do not have alcohol in them, they are not paid any mind despite having harmful effects on an adolescent body.

Though it does not have any alcohol it in, Red Bull Energy Drink is just as harmful for consumption, especially for children under sixteen.

Can A Thirteen-Year-Old Drink Red Bull?

Normally, everyone would advise against letting a thirteen-year-old consume Red Bull Energy Drink due to its zero nutritional value and high content of caffeine and sugar in it.

FDA regulates all conventional food and beverages and dietary supplements across the US through its authority. It advises adult consumers to limit their intake to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day.

Red Bull Energy Drink is not a dietary supplement. It has a whopping 30 milligrams of caffeine per 100 ml which is not a suitable amount for consumption by children of thirteen years.

Countries like France, Denmark, and Norway have banned the drink for a very long time, acknowledging the harm that it shows over time. 

Researches conducted in Lithuania show that a can of Red Bull Energy Drink can do as much damage as a pint of beer and therefore should be kept out of reach of minors. 

Apart from this, Britain’s Committee on Toxicity has also advised pregnant women against drinking it. It was discovered that the high amount of caffeine could be linked to the risk of miscarriage.

Therefore, it is strongly advised to not let children under the age of sixteen drink Red Bull Energy Drink, for it can cause repercussions on their fine motor development skills.

Regulating the amount of caffeine and sugar intake of your growing children is necessary, especially in these sedentary times.

Is Red Bull Safe For Children?

No, energy drink is not safe for children. Too much caffeine is fatal to everyone but is affecting adolescents more than anyone else.

Red Bull Energy Drink contains a concentrated amount of caffeine and sugar that is supposed to stimulate the body and mind. 

However, many side effects related to the heart and nervous system have been linked with this energy drink. This raises the question of whether it is safe for consumption or not.

Teens leading the most and least sedentary lifestyles are most affected by this.

Normally, minors should not consume more than 100mg of caffeine a day. Yet Red Bull Energy Drink has anywhere between 75mg to 500mg of caffeine in it.

Not only do they experience palpitations, sleeping problems, headaches, nausea, or seizures, but are also at risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Heart rhythm disturbances and high blood pressure are common among teenagers these days.

Final Remarks

Through this article, we tried to tackle the problem of overconsumption of caffeinated energy drinks among teenagers. Children under 12 should avoid Red Bull and teens should not drink more than 100ml a day.

Here is a quick summary of what we discussed so far:

Red Bull is a caffeinated energy drink that has no age restriction to it so legally, anyone can drink Red Bull. However, several federal agencies and associations have raised concerns regarding its consumption by children under 16 and strongly advise against it.