New Energy Drinks Target Young Gamers

Many Americans adults love to get the next best supplement that will help improve their lives. Whether that’s a new vitamin to help their eyesight, or an easy fix to lose weight, people can’t get enough. Many are even willing to accept the potential health hazards that can go along with these products. However, even though Americans love their supplements and additives, it becomes a sticky subject when it comes to youth. In recent news, energy drink spinoffs are targeting gamers with a new alternative to traditional energy drinks. However, by virtue of going after gamers their target market contains a large portion of kids under eighteen.

Let’s face it; energy drinks with lots of caffeine and sugar are bad for you. That’s what kids are taught in school and what their parents probably reinforce. Large amounts of caffeine have been linked to slowed brain development, bad sleep patterns, and irregular heart rate in children. In the culture surrounding gamers though, energy drinks maintain a strong foothold, even to the degree of special flavors like Mountain Dew Game Fuel specifically targeting them.

One of the two companies, G Fuel, markets itself as a secret sauce to help enhance focus and endurance. Its main advertising point is that its drinks are sugar free and vitamin infused. Sounds great, right? Well G Fuel forgot to mention that it has more caffeine than both Monster and Red bull, a staggering 150 milligrams in 12 oz. (for reference a cup of coffee has 95 milligrams in 12 oz.) They have successfully sidestepped sugar as America’s enemy number 1 in food, but the new path isn’t better. As mentioned earlier, the caffeine context proves just as hazardous as sugar it its own right.

It seems as if the FDA needs to pass some sort of restriction towards today’s young buyers. Earlier this year a report from congress scrutinized energy drink producers for their “recklessness” Previously, major energy drink companies have agreed to stop marketing to kids under twelve years old due to negative health effects. Is this enough though? Adolescent medicine specialists have said many parents don’t truly understand the adverse effects of these drinks and therefore it is up to the FDA, or even congress, to help regulate. Or perhaps we could sit back and let the targeting of kids continue for a nice profit.