Doctors across the country are warning about the health risks associated with energy drinks for children after a sponsorship deal between Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference college athletic organization raised concerns. The newly formed coalition of doctors highlights that energy drinks, which contain high levels of caffeine, can cause serious harm to kids, including abnormal heartbeats, dehydration, seizures, and sleep disturbances. They cite three child deaths, including a South Carolina teen named Davis who died after consuming an energy drink. According to the Monitoring the Future survey, 23% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders, and 18% of eighth graders consume energy drinks daily, with caffeine content in these drinks ranging from 80 to 300 mg per serving.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Sean and Heidi Cripe will never forget the call from their son’s high school saying Davis was being taken to the emergency room.
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Davis → forget → room
“He chugged an energy drink — like, just trying to be cool,” said Sean Cripe, recounting the day nearly a decade ago.
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Cripe → chug → day
The teen’s heart soon fell out of rhythm and he died.
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he → fall → rhythm
While such deaths are rare, doctors across the country have warned for years that energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine that can seriously harm children, causing problems such as abnormal heartbeats, increased heart rate, sleep disturbances, dehydration, agitation, high blood pressure and seizures.
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that → warn → heartbeats
A newly formed coalition of doctors is highlighting these risks in the wake of a sponsorship deal between Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference college athletic organization.
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coalition → form → Energy
The group has asked conference leaders to pause the sponsorship and the NCAA to review energy drink marketing to youths in general, citing the deaths of three children including Davis, a 16-year-old from South Carolina.
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NCAA → ask → Carolina
The doctors stress that they’re not just concerned about Monster but all energy drinks and any similar partnerships.
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they → stress → Monster
“Kids are going to see energy drinks now promoted by the universities and the athletes that they admire and want to emulate,” said Dr. Matthew Nelson, an Idaho cardiologist involved with the effort.
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Nelson → go → effort
“The kids will think of them as sports drinks, which they’re not.”
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they → think → drinks
Too much caffeine can harm kids in many ways
Various medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say children and teens should avoid energy drinks altogether.
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children → harm → drinks
According to the latest results of the federally funded Monitoring the Future survey, run by the University of Michigan, 23% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 18% of eighth graders reported consuming energy drinks daily.
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% → accord → drinks
Depending on the product, caffeine content can range from 80 to 300 mg per serving.
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content → depend → serving
By comparison, a typical 8-ounce coffee contains about 80 to 100 mg and some sodas contain 50 mg or less.
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sodas → contain → mg
Overall, the pediatrics academy recommends children ages 12 to 18 limit caffeine to 100 mg a day.
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children → recommend → mg
Younger kids are discouraged from consuming any caffeine.
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kids → discourage → caffeine
Caffeine and other stimulants increase heart rate and the reactivity of the nervous system – basically “how fast things go in the body, which can create an overload of the system,” said Dr. Tamara Hannon, an Indiana pediatrician who chairs the academy’s nutrition committee.
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who → increase → committee
She likened it to running a blender until the motor heats up too much.
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motor → liken → blender
“The same thing can happen when you deliver stimulants to people,” she said.
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she → happen → people
“The heart can wear out, the nervous system can go haywire and you can have really serious consequences.”
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you → wear → consequences
While such cardiovascular dangers are real, Harvard Medical School experts say there’s no scientifically valid evidence behind the common belief that caffeine can stunt a person’s growth.
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caffeine → say → growth
Mixing different types of caffeine can be risky
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Mixing → mix → caffeine
Children with preexisting conditions such as high blood pressure are at especially high risk, Hannon said, but even healthy children who get too much of a stimulant can have serious problems.
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who → say → problems
That includes young athletes.
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That → include → athletes
Another consideration: Kids often drink various types of caffeinated beverages.
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Kids → drink → beverages
That was the case with Davis Cripe, who died in 2017.
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who → die → 2017
According to the coroner at the time, Davis had no prior heart condition and drank a Mountain Dew and a latte from McDonald’s earlier in the day.
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Davis → accord → day
He experienced arrhythmia after having the energy drink.
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He → experience → drink
It wasn’t the first time Davis drank one, although he didn’t consume them regularly.
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he → drink → them
“We had talked to him and let him know that they weren’t healthy,” Sean Cripe said.
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Cripe → talk → him
“We didn’t understand they could be deadly.”
uncertain
they → understand → ?
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that → say → visits
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Trade group says the energy drink industry tries to protect kids
The American Beverage Association — which includes Monster and other companies comprising 94% of the energy drink category — said members voluntarily disclose caffeine totals on product labels, which carry advisories such as: “Not intended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or persons sensitive to caffeine.
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which → make → caffeine
Members also don’t sell or market energy drinks in K-12 schools.
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Members → sell → schools
Monster Energy said in a statement that caffeine and other drink ingredients are found in a broad range of food products.
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caffeine → say → products
“Mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally,” the company added.
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company → market → years
The deal between Big 12 and Monster calls for a co-branded logo on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, and across digital and social media channels.
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deal → call → channels
“The energy drink category is not new to collegiate athletics,” the Big 12 Conference said in a statement, adding that beverage companies are always looking for ways to reach sports fans.
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companies → say → fans
The NCAA doesn’t have the authority to regulate conference or school sponsorship agreements, Dr. Deena Casiero, the association’s chief medical officer, told the doctor group in a letter.
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Casiero → have → letter
She said the association offers schools educational resources on caffeine and student-athlete health, and caffeine has been a topic of interest for an NCAA committee, which recently commissioned a cardiac advisory group.
How to educate kids about excess caffeine
To protect children, teachers and coaches can educate them about the dangers of too much caffeine and the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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teachers → say → Control
Sports drinks are designed to help replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating after activity.
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drinks → design → activity
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
