Many teenagers are constantly buying energy drinks, but why do they desire to have them so badly when they are known for causing problems? Energy drinks started to become popular in the 1990s-2000s due to the launch of Redbull followed by Monster and Rockstar in the early 2000s. But for Gen Z, these really started to gain popularity when Logan Paul and KSI decided to go against Gatorade by launching a new hydration drink called Prime. They later created an energy drink version of Prime.

You might be wondering… why do teenagers enjoy drinking something they know is bad for them? Everyone knows energy drinks are full of caffeine, excessive sugar, and other stimulants like  guarana and taurine which may be less known. They are also known to cause severe health issues like heart palpitations, high blood pressure, dehydration, insomnia, anxiety and in extreme cases cardiac arrest or seizures. 

Clearly energy drinks are awful for the youth, but one thing that really pulls them into the can of health issues is the packaging. The producers of these drinks love to design the packaging to make it stand out from the other drink options. 

For example, compare a can of Coca-Cola and a Sour Patch Ghost energy drink. A can of Coca-Cola is a dark red with a white simple logo, but a Ghost energy has bright yellow packaging, a bold font, and bright color accents of the flavor of drink. 

Additionally, Monster energy drinks have a bright colored symbol for each of their flavors on the front of the can. While teenagers are young adults, they still have childlike tendencies which makes them so attracted to these cool designs and bright colors.

Another thing that makes them pick up an energy drink versus a coffee or hydration drink is that typically coffee can have an extremely bitter taste which many teens would not like, Teenagers normally prefer sweeter drinks which leads them to pick up the can of death because the sugary flavor appeals to them. “I drink Bang Energy every day because caffeine doesn’t affect me but it tastes good,” expressed LTHS freshman Liam Moody.  

When teenagers are taught many different facts and health concerns, they normally will not care. Teenagers are often associated with being rebellious and free, which leads them to do bad things. Teenagers’ brains are not fully developed to adolescence yet which gives them the lack of the ability to make informed decisions, which is why most will grab the energy drink instead of coffee or another better, safer and healthier option.

Alas, despite the glaring downsides of energy drinks, they can simply never compete with the glorious allure of “ooh, fun shapes and colors!”