Jackson Daniel, age 12, couldn’t believe his luck. His mom had a big surprise for him. “I found PRIME!” she said. 

    For months, Jackson and his friends had been into PRIME Hydration. The sports drinks taste like candy. They were all over TikTok. But the drinks were hard to find in stores where Jackson lived. 

    Jackson grabbed a pink can. He gulped it down. His brother tried a blue one. But he didn’t like it. So Jackson drank that one too. 

    Jackson started to feel strange. His heart pounded. His hands shook. He couldn’t sleep that night. He tossed and turned. He jumped out of bed. He was awake until 3 a.m. “I couldn’t stay still,” he said. 

    Here’s why: Jackson didn’t drink PRIME Hydration. He drank PRIME Energy. It’s a different PRIME drink. One can has 200 mg of caffeine. That’s twice the amount that doctors say is safe for teens to have in a day.

    Some countries have banned the sale of energy drinks to anyone under 18. Now some doctors, parents, and government leaders are wondering: Should the U.S. do more to protect young people from caffeine?

    Jackson Daniel, 12, couldn’t believe his luck. His mom had just walked in with a big surprise. “I found PRIME!” she said. 

    For months, Jackson and his friends had been into PRIME Hydration. The candy-flavored sports drinks were all over their TikTok feeds, but the drinks were almost impossible to find in stores near Jackson’s house. 

    Jackson grabbed a pink can and gulped it down. His brother tried a blue one but didn’t like the taste, so Jackson drank that one too. 

    Before long, Jackson started feeling strange. His heart pounded, and his hands shook. When he tried to go to sleep, he tossed, turned, and jumped out of bed. He was awake until 3 a.m. “I couldn’t stay still,” he said. 

    That’s because Jackson hadn’t been drinking PRIME Hydration. He had gulped down PRIME Energy, another PRIME drink that came out last January. One can of PRIME Energy is packed with 200 mg of caffeine—double the amount that doctors say is safe for teens to have in a day.

    Several countries have already banned the sale of energy drinks to anyone under 18. Now some doctors, parents, and government leaders are wondering: Should the U.S. be doing more to protect young people from caffeine?

    Caffeine is everywhere.

    It’s in the cola in your grandma’s fridge. It’s in the chocolate you snack on. It’s in the rows of energy drinks at the store.

    Most people don’t think of caffeine as a drug. But that’s what it is.

    If you drink too much caffeine, your heart may beat faster. Your brain may race with wild thoughts. Your hands may even shake a little.

    Caffeine has always existed in nature. It’s in coffee beans. It’s in tea leaves and cocoa beans. “They all have small amounts of caffeine that aren’t likely to hurt most people,” says Dr. Holly Benjamin. She’s a pediatrician. She works in Chicago.

    But in the early 2000s, energy drinks became popular in the U.S. Most of these drinks have a lot of caffeine in them. “They can hit your growing body hard,” Dr. Benjamin says.

    Jackson knows this firsthand. He will never forget his sleepless night. “It was the worst feeling,” he says.

    Caffeine is everywhere you look.

    It’s in the ice-cold cola you take from your grandma’s fridge. It’s in the chocolate you snack on while studying. It’s in the rows of brightly colored energy drinks at the corner store near your school.

    In fact, caffeine is so common that most people don’t think of it as a drug. But that’s exactly what it is.

    If you drink too much caffeine, your heart may beat faster. Your brain may race with wild thoughts, and your hands may even shake a little as you try to type your homework.

    Caffeine has always existed in nature. It’s found in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa beans. “They all have small amounts of caffeine that aren’t likely to hurt most people,” says Dr. Holly Benjamin, a pediatrician who works in an emergency room in Chicago.

    But in the early 2000s, energy drinks began to take off in the United States. Most of these drinks pack unnatural amounts of caffeine into a single bottle or can. “They can hit your growing body hard,” Dr. Benjamin says.

    Jackson, who will never forget his sleepless night, knows this firsthand. “It was the worst feeling,” he says.

Experts say kids ages 12 to 18 should not have more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. For adults, the max is 400 milligrams. (Kids under age 12 shouldn’t have any.) 

How much caffeine is in your drink or snack?

Experts say kids ages 12 to 18 should not have more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. For adults, the max is 400 milligrams. (Kids under age 12 shouldn’t have any.) 

How much caffeine is in your drink or snack?

Experts say kids ages 12 to 18 should not have more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. For adults, the max is 400 milligrams. (Kids under age 12 shouldn’t have any.) 

How much caffeine is in your drink or snack?

    Last summer, a senator from New York wrote a letter. In it, he asked the government to investigate PRIME Energy. 

    The senator accused the company of trying to hook kids on their products. He said the drink was being advertised to young people—even though they shouldn’t drink it. 

    Is that true? You decide. 

    The brand’s biggest promoters are Logan Paul and KSI. They are social media stars. They have millions of followers. Many of them are teens. More than one-third of their TikTok followers are under 18.

    Paul and KSI launched PRIME Hydration on social media in January 2022. The drinks sold out fast. Young fans posted videos of their hunt for all the flavors. Kids made TikToks of PRIME bottles lined up in their rooms. 

    A year later, Paul and KSI announced PRIME Energy.

    In one post, Paul is punching a punching bag. The caption reads: “Workout harder with Prime Energy.” 

    That message worries Dr. Benjamin. She says energy drinks are dangerous for young athletes. “Never drink them and exercise hard at the same time,” she says. “It can make your heart beat too fast or cause chest pains. It can even throw your heart into an irregular beat.”

    Last summer, a senator from New York wrote a letter asking the government to investigate PRIME Energy. 

    The senator accused the company of trying to hook kids on their products. He said the drink was being directly advertised to young people—even though they shouldn’t drink it. 

    Is that true? You decide. 

    The brand’s biggest promoters are social media stars Logan Paul and KSI, who together have millions of followers. Many of them are teens. For example, more than one-third of their TikTok followers are under 18.

    Paul and KSI launched PRIME Hydration on social media in January 2022, and the drinks sold out right away. Young fans posted videos of their hunt for all the flavors. Kids made TikToks of PRIME bottles lined up in their rooms. 

    Then, a year later, Paul and KSI announced PRIME Energy.

    In one post on the brand’s TikTok, Paul is shown punching a punching bag. The caption reads: “Workout harder with Prime Energy.” 

    For Dr. Benjamin, this message is extra troubling. She says energy drinks are dangerous for young athletes. “Never drink them and exercise hard at the same time,” she says. “It can make your heart beat too fast or cause chest pains. It can even throw your heart into an irregular beat.”