A NATIONWIDE ban on selling energy drinks to under-16s has been announced in Spain.
All energy drinks will be off-limits to under-16s, with a further restriction preventing under-18s from purchasing beverages exceeding 32 milligrams of caffeine per 100 millilitres.
It comes after Galicia and Asturias declared that they would ban energy drinks for youngsters, putting the issue in the national spotlight.
Government Minister Pablo Bustinduy announced the ban, although it is not clear when it will come into force.
Bustinduy explained that the new law is designed to protect teens’ health.
He said: “It is scientifically proven that these energy drinks have become a threat to the health of young people.”
From insomnia, to anxiety and heart problems, caffeinated and sugary energy drinks can cause a variety of health issues.
They are popular too: a Ministry of Health study found that 38.4% of 14–18-year-olds had consumed an energy drink in the past month.
Nearly 4 in 10 Spanish teens (14–18) drank energy drinks last month, with boys leading the way (46% vs 31% of girls).
Consumption peaks at 18, where more than half of boys consume them.
Worryingly, 15% of teens mixed energy drinks with alcohol, including 18% of boys – a particularly risky habit .
Combining energy drinks with alcohol can lead to risky behaviour, binge-drinking (energy drinks mask the effects of intoxication) and extreme dehydration.
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Long-term, the combination can cause severe liver damage, kidney issues, and irregular heartbeats.
Young Spaniards, on the whole, support the new rule.
Bustinduy highlighted that 88.3% of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 35 approve of the ban.
He therefore believes that ‘it is a measure that hardly anyone will be able to oppose’.
Spain joins other European countries including Germany, Norway, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania which have also banned the drinks for youngsters.
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