Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Study: Kids All Hopped Up On Caffeine
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 20, 2010
Modified Dec 20, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 20, 2010
Modified Dec 20, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Remember when you were a kid and you'd beg your parents to let you order a Coke at a restaurant but they told you you were too young to have caffeine and you spent the rest of the meal plotting the phone call you were going to place to child protective services when you got home? Apparently that was just us, because according to a new study [pdf], 75% of kids between the ages of 5 and 12 consume caffeine on a daily basis. Though it's based on a relatively small survey of 201 kids, Dr. William Warzak says, "Some children as young as 5 years old were consuming the equivalent of a can of soda a day." Let's just start the total caffeine ban countdown now.
Aside from having 5-year-olds running around like speed freaks, the study says that the more caffeine the children consumed, the less they slept. Dr. Warzak told the Daily News, "Caffeine is not some boogie man, but at some point for all of us, too much caffeine is a problem." Doctors also said more research needed to be done on whether or not caffeine can stunt a child's development. Meanwhile, we're on our third cup of coffee of the day. But we can quit whenever we want.
Tagged
caffeine
caffeine consumption
kids
study
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .