What parents should know about kids and caffeine pouches
Caffeine pouches or energy pouches are rising in popularity, and although they're typically marketed to adults, children and teenagers are also increasingly showing interest in the small sachets.
Some schools and districts have taken action to ban caffeine pouches in recent months and years, citing their close similarity to nicotine pouches, which are already prohibited on many school campuses, along with other tobacco products.
Onsted Middle School in Onsted, Michigan, shared a notice for parents in a May 11 Facebook post, saying, "We are beginning to see an increase in students bringing caffeine pouches to school. While these products may be marketed as caffeine alternatives, they closely resemble nicotine pouches in appearance and use. This creates confusion and shifts attention away from our learning environment."
The school asked families to ensure caffeine pouches are "left at home and not brought to school," in order to "maintain a focused and distraction-free school setting."
Holton Public Schools Unified School District 336 in Holton, Kansas, shared a similar message for parents and students back in January, writing in a Facebook post at the time, "A significant concern with these products is that school staff are unable to effectively monitor or control what substances are being brought to school in these containers. In addition, energy pouches are often nearly identical in appearance and packaging to nicotine pouches, making it impossible for staff to reliably distinguish between the two. For this reason, all such products are prohibited at school."
What are caffeine pouches?
Caffeine pouches or energy pouches are small packets filled with anywhere from 50 mg to 200 mg of caffeine. Some pouches are made from polyester and cellulose, and different brands contain different combinations of caffeine mixed with other ingredients such as amino acids, minerals, or vitamins. The pouches typically come packaged in small cans or tins.
Caffeine or energy pouches can come in different flavors such as coffee, fruit, mint or soda, which can be appealing to children and adults alike.
When placed between the gums, cheeks, and lips, the caffeine inside the pouches dissolves quickly -- as fast as 20 minutes, according to one brand -- and is then absorbed into the bloodstream. The pouches are intended to be removed from the mouth and discarded after use.
Caffeine pouches often have packaging labels that indicate they are to be sold only to adults. They are available for purchase both in retail stores and online, including through some social media platforms.
Marketing for caffeine pouches has also grown and spread on social media, where posts sometimes refer to them as an "upper decky" or "lip pillow." They are promoted as an easy, portable way to get an energy boost during daily activities such as exercising or traveling.
On TikTok, more than 9,000 posts bear the "upper decky" hashtag, with the "lip pillow" hashtag appearing in more than 10,000 posts. The hashtag "caffeinepouch," by contrast, is included in just over 2,200 posts.
Caffeine and children
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe amount of caffeine -- which is a stimulant -- for young children, and kids 2 and under should avoid caffeinated products altogether.
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend caffeine for kids of any age, including caffeinated foods, drinks and medicines containing caffeine.
Dr. Zachary Binder, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, told ABC News caffeine gets absorbed much more quickly through a pouch than when consumed through a beverage such as coffee or tea.
"It absorbs far quicker than it would if you were drinking a cup of coffee, for instance," Binder said. "It's not necessarily the amount of caffeine, it's how quickly it's entering your system and how high the level gets."
However, the pouch-based delivery also makes it easier to ingest a much higher, and potentially dangerous, dose of caffeine than a cup of tea or coffee, whether intentionally or not.
Studies have suggested caffeine can negatively impact kids' growth and sleep patterns, among other issues. Caffeine can also interact with medications, such as antidepressants, and cause dangerous levels of those medicines in the blood.
Too much caffeine consumption can also lead to heart problems such as arrhythmias, and can trigger underlying conditions like congenital Long QT syndrome, an electrical disorder of the heart, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
"There are plenty of people walking around in our daily lives that would never know that they have this underlying kind of pattern to their heart rate, but if you give this kind of extreme stimulant, it ... can lead to a serious arrhythmia, and ultimately, some people die from this," Binder said.
Although Binder said he doesn't often see children in the emergency room for excessive caffeine consumption, that does not mean the danger is not significant. He said he still recommends parents talk to their children about caffeine and its potential side effects.
"[Parents can impress] upon them the fact that caffeine isn't without risk," Binder said. "No amount of caffeine is recommended for children."
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