do you let your children drink energy drinks?

[zeitgeista]

just wondering because my mum isn't too bothered but does try to limit them whereas some of my friends parents try to ban them completely (not that it works)!

It's hard to stop over-16s from buying and drinking them, but parents can make it absolutely clear how they feel and if they're caught with them in the house remove them.

Grim stuff. Thankfully my 17 year old is too interested in his health to touch it.

No I don't allow them.

wow that's quite shocking.
my old friend had stomach issues i think to do with too much acid and she couldn't drink energy drinks bc when she did they made her cry, i think it's due to a lot of acid or something in them which i guess shows how artificial they are.
i luckily havent had any issues with them yet.

You can drink it more rarely, it's ok. But several times a week you're asking for trouble later on

Find another drink to be cool 😎 nowadays there are so many health crazes! Why not?!

No, I won't allow energy drinks. I have educated my children about why they are banned and they no longer interested in trying those type of "drinks".

lol i tried drinking green tea for a while but it made me gag everytime unless i added so much honey it ended up not being healthy anymore

I think education is key. I’ve been very honest with my son about what is in them, and what the effect could be on his body. He understands why they are so bad.

that's fair enough.

I didn't restrict them for my son, just as I didn't restrict screen time or alcohol. I trusted him to not go overboard and thought if I made them taboo, they would be more attractive. He didn't like the smell of energy drinks other than lucozade so that is the only one he had, although the age restriction came in after he turned 16 anyway. I stopped drinking them myself after I developed bladder problems as it was making it worse.

yeah my mum doesn't restrict screen time or many other things for me either really.
she isn't too keen on me drinking alcohol but she has never really been a drinker so i guess it's just something she can't understand, whereas she knows i smoke and doesn't restrict it as she used to be a heavy smoker so understands.
she doesn't provide cigarettes for me but she doesn't ground me or take away my money if i do them, i guess just thinks it's my own decision.

No never allowed them

I don't let my 16 year old have them. The caffeine isn't good for you at your age and it's completely unnecessary to have it.
The Pepsi isn't any better.

Stick with water or sugar free squash

i've never liked water and i go through squash so quickly my mum doesn't buy it anymore lol.
my mums the same, hasn't liked water since she was very very young and gags when she drinks it now.

just a question but u don't have to answer this of course -

if you don't let your kids have energy drinks, do you allow them to have tea and coffee?

Mine doesn't drink tea or coffee either but that's personal preference.

The difference in caffeine in tea or monster is huge however
Why don't you buy your own squash. It's cheaper than monster or red bull etc

tbh i don't want to spend the money i get on squash when i don't enjoy it that much D:
that's a fair point about the difference in caffiene levels however was just wondering if it was a complete no caffeinated drinks thing or just energy drinks.

My son always has been allowed tea and coffee. He doesn't like tea but has drank coffee since being a toddler- was given it first by his gran when they were at a festival, she bought him hot chocolate but he dropped it, so she let him have her coffee instead and he has loved it ever since. Interesting that your mum isn't worried about you smoking though. My son has always been aware that smoking is a red line for us - his dad started smoking at age 8 and died from lung cancer last year.

I think they can be very addictive. My neighbours who are in their 20's are rarely seen without a can of Monster in their hand. I think they must drink at least 5 cans a day each.

I don't know how they afford them when they have 3 young children to be honest

My kids walk past the shops on the way to school so can't really ban them.

They know that they aren't good for you and rarely drink them (I hope) but if I saw them drinking one I wouldn't be angry.

5 cans a day !!

...jealous

my friends and i used to meet up at the corner shop before school and buy the £1 1l bottles of energy drink every morning :O

I drink 5 cans a day and have done for years, I have had really bad issues with my stomach as a result but cannot stop. They are horrendously addictive

Well, of you think it's onto drink energy drinks regularly, smoke and drink alcohol at 15, then. Worried about your judgement.

You haven't been living under a rock for the last 15 years, you must know that smoking is fucking awful for you, and you already know that energy drinks are shit and you shouldn't be having alcohol.

You're making these choices, knowing full well they're poor decisions
Not entirely sure what you want from this thread, no-one is going to say "yeah, I let my 15yo neck red bull every day" because they (and you!) know they're full of crap. You're not going to get the permission you want from Mumsnet...