Don’t Raise your Glass: Post COVID-19 it is Critical to Pass Legislation to Ban the Sale of Energy Drinks to Children

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages with caffeine and additives, such as Guarana extract, taurine and ginseng. Manufacturers heavily promote them through social media as increasing physical and mental energy. The drinks can cause serious negative health consequences, particularly for children, such as mental health issues and weight gain. COVID-19 made these same health challenges, mental health and weight gain, worse for children. Consequently, Australian Governments must follow the lead of the British Government and other overseas governments and legislate to ban the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 18. The author believes that this article is the first to consider implications of COVID-19 when deciding to legislate to ban the sale of energy drinks to young people under the age of 18 in Australia.