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[-] Highlandcow@feddit.uk 32 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I thought they were already banned for under 16s won't they?

[-] EdanGrey@sh.itjust.works 21 points 5 days ago

No there is a voluntary thing where shops can choose not to sell to under 16s. Many of the supermarkets do this.

[-] Highlandcow@feddit.uk 6 points 5 days ago

Jeez, man this sucks, why shouldn't a teenager be able to make these decisions for himself, they aren't stupid

[-] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 20 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

They're not stupid, but their brains aren't fully developed yet. A huge problem is the fact that the part of the brain that takes into consideration possible consequences for any action one decides to take is one of the last things to fully develop, and that doesn't happen until roughly age 25. That's why so many college-age kids do some pretty stupid things at parties and such.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 7 points 5 days ago

https://perkcoffee.co/sg/countries-consume-coffee/

The UK appears to be nowhere near the top of countries on per-capita coffee consumption, at less than a third Finland's rate.

However, it does appear to be very high on prevalence of cocaine consumption:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_prevalence_of_cocaine_use

[-] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 3 points 5 days ago

We rather famously drink tea.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Hmm. That's a good point. I wonder if there's trouble lurking there.

The government proposals will make it illegal to sell high-caffeine energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to anyone under 16 in England.

Aight, so that's their red line.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-caffeine-in-coffee

A 12-ounce (oz) cup of brewed coffee may contain 113 to 247 milligrams (mg)Trusted Source of caffeine, whereas a smaller 8-ounce cup can contain about 95 to 200 mg.

Hmm. A liter is 2.8 times larger than a 12 fluid ounce cup, so that'd be 318 mg/L to 696 mg/L.

goes looking for tea

https://angelinos.com/blogs/news/which-tea-is-the-most-caffeinated

#1 Black tea: Between 64 and 112 mg of caffeine per 8-fl oz serving

4.23 of those in a liter, so between 270 mg/L and 473 mg/L.

It looks like tea and coffee


at least were they energy drinks


would have too much caffine.

[-] Highlandcow@feddit.uk 3 points 5 days ago

Fully developed enough no, but developed enough to handle a legal drug such as caffeine and to look at the back of a bottle and make a decision on what they do not want to put into there bodies, the stupidity of select individual isn't a valid justification of the curtailing of freedom

[-] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 7 points 5 days ago

So let's sell cigarettes to kids, too. They're a legal drug, right?

Look, I'm no expert, and I'm not saying caffeine is as bad as cigarettes, but I'm sure neither of us has a full understanding of the brain, or caffeine's effects upon it. How about admitting you might not know enough to make an informed decision, and let those who do know more work it out?

[-] Highlandcow@feddit.uk 3 points 5 days ago

Ok fair, I can admit looking at your comment my argument was flawed, I still think though that people of all ages should be able drink whatever caffeine based drink they want as long as it isn't strong enough to kill you which energy drinks arnt, most countries do not have this restriction to my knowledge and I think this use of "public health" and the idea we need to curtail people's freedoms to save NHS money is wrong and that there are more important mismanagement of government funds that needs to be looked at

[-] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

It's not unimportant:

Yes, these people overdosed, but teens aren't exactly known for their self-control or lack of impulsiveness, so they may do similarly - especially given how so many tend to act like they're almost indestructible thanks to their youth-driven ability to heal more quickly.

There's nothing keeping kids from drinking multiple caffeine drinks as detailed in the links above, so at least ensuring that the drinks are low in caffeine will hopefully slow the intake enough to minimize the risk.

this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
107 points (100.0% liked)

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