Caffeine has quietly become a daily part of childhood, according to new federal research. A new report from the CDC finds that most children consume caffeine every day, and doctors say the stimulant is showing up more and more in kids' diets, and not just in coffee or energy drinks.
The scale of the habit is striking. The report finds that more than 60% of kids consume caffeine on any given day, making it a routine rather than an occasional exposure for a large majority of children across the country.
The pattern also shifts with age. According to the CDC, as kids got older, the more they consumed, meaning the amount of caffeine in a child's daily diet tends to climb steadily as they move from early childhood toward their teenage years.
For the youngest children, the sources are not the obvious ones. Sweet bakery products were the most common source of caffeine for younger kids, followed by flavored milk, candy and soda, a lineup that shows how much of their intake comes from ordinary snacks rather than drinks marketed for energy.
Older children get their caffeine more directly. For that group, soda was the most common source, followed by tea and coffee, reflecting a move toward the kinds of caffeinated beverages more typically associated with adults.
Pediatric guidelines draw a hard line, especially for the young. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids under the age of 12 don't consume any caffeine at all, while for those over 12 the recommended limit is 100 milligrams per day, equivalent to about one cup of coffee.
Doctors are especially concerned about energy drinks, which they warn often contain much higher doses of caffeine plus lots of added sugar. That combination can lead to sleep issues, dehydration and, at higher doses, even more serious outcomes like panic attacks and even seizures, and health experts note that too much caffeine is something that leads to thousands of ER visits among kids every single year.