Caffeine for children and teenagers: what EFSA's limits mean in practice
☕ Key points
- EFSA's 2015 scientific opinion proposes 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight per day for children and adolescents, from all foods and drinks together.
- Multiply body weight in kilos by 3 and you have the daily ceiling in milligrams.
- For most children the caffeine comes from chocolate, cola, tea and energy drinks. Coffee is a minor source until the teenage years.
- The figure is a population benchmark. Sleep and jitteriness are the signs to watch, whatever the arithmetic says.
What is the EFSA safe level for children and teenagers?
The European Food Safety Authority published its scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine on 27 May 2015 (EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102). For children and adolescents it proposes 3 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for habitual consumption. That is a level at which no safety concern was identified, not a recommended intake.
Studies in young people are thin, so the panel borrowed from the adult evidence. It took the per-kilo threshold for acute intake in adults (around 200 mg for someone weighing 70 kg) and applied it to younger age groups, reasoning that children and teenagers clear caffeine at least as fast as adults do. The effects it weighed were disturbed sleep and anxiety or jitteriness.
Adults get different headline numbers from the same opinion: 400 mg a day and 200 mg at one sitting, with 200 mg a day in pregnancy. The child figure is not a slice of those. It tracks the child's weight, and Germany's BfR notes it can be read as a ceiling for a single serving as well as for the day.
How does 3 mg/kg translate into cups, cans and cola?
Take the weight, multiply by three, and compare the answer with what is in the glass. The BfR gives typical contents of 90 mg for a 200 ml filter coffee, 80 mg for a 250 ml energy drink, 35 mg for a 330 ml can of cola and 45 mg for 200 ml of black tea.
| Body weight | Daily ceiling (3 mg/kg) | Roughly equal to |
|---|---|---|
| 20 kg | 60 mg | Less than one 250 ml energy drink (80 mg) |
| 30 kg | 90 mg | One 200 ml filter coffee (90 mg) |
| 40 kg | 120 mg | One energy drink plus one 330 ml cola (115 mg) |
| 50 kg | 150 mg | One filter coffee plus one black tea (135 mg) |
| 60 kg | 180 mg | Two 200 ml filter coffees (180 mg) |
Those are averages, and a home-brewed coffee can land well above or below the filter figure. For packaged drinks the label is the better number. The useful habit is to add up the whole day, not judge each drink on its own.
Where does a child's caffeine actually come from?
Mostly not from coffee. In the European food consumption database EFSA relied on, coffee intake among children was negligible, and chocolate drinks were the leading source for toddlers and younger children. Teenagers draw on a wider mix that changes country by country: chocolate, coffee, cola, energy drinks and tea.
A cup of hot chocolate (200 ml) carries anywhere from 8 to 35 mg according to the BfR, which is a wide range for something that feels harmless. Add a cola at lunch and a tea after school and a 25 kg child has used up the whole 75 mg allowance (35 plus 45 is 80 mg) without anyone pouring a coffee. Decaf is not zero either, as our guide to caffeine in decaf explains.
Why are energy drinks treated differently?
Because they pack the caffeine into a cold, sweet, fast drink that is easy to finish in minutes. The American Academy of Pediatrics put it bluntly in a 2011 clinical report: caffeine and the other stimulants in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.
The EU label says much the same. Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, any drink other than coffee or tea with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre must read "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women", followed by the content in mg per 100 ml. France's Anses pointed out in 2013 that one 250 ml can equals about two 50 ml espressos, or more than two 330 ml cans of cola.
Rules on sales differ across Europe. Lithuania and Latvia were the first EU countries to restrict sales to minors, between 2014 and 2016, and Hungary and Bulgaria followed in 2025 with bans for under-18s, according to a 2025 European Parliament briefing. Belgium has no national ban, so the choice still sits with the family.
What are the signs that a young person has had too much?
Sleep first. A child who takes longer to fall asleep, wakes earlier or seems wired in the evening is giving you better data than any average. Anxiety and jitteriness were the other effects behind EFSA's reasoning.
Timing matters as much as dose. The same 90 mg at noon and at five o'clock do not behave alike, and caffeine's half-life differs a lot between individuals, as we cover in coffee, sleep and half-life. Stomach ache, a racing heart or tremor after a caffeinated drink is worth mentioning to a doctor.
How can parents keep track without a calculator?
Learn one formula and use it on labels: mg per 100 ml, times the volume in ml, divided by 100. A drink labelled 32 mg/100 ml, poured into a 250 ml glass, delivers 80 mg. Then subtract whatever the child has already had.
Treat 3 mg/kg as a ceiling, not a target. A young child needs no coffee at all, and for a teenager the easiest rule is one caffeinated drink, early in the day, with energy drinks left off the shopping list. If a child has a heart condition, takes medication or reacts strongly, the paediatrician's advice overrides any table.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine can a 10-year-old have per day?
It depends on weight rather than age. At 3 mg per kg per day, a 32 kg child can have up to 96 mg from all sources combined, which is barely more than one 200 ml filter coffee (90 mg). A 330 ml cola (35 mg) and a hot chocolate already use up a good part of that.
Can a teenager drink coffee?
EFSA's benchmark applies, so a 50 kg teenager has 150 mg a day. One 200 ml filter coffee (90 mg) leaves room, two (180 mg) overshoot. Colas, tea and chocolate count too, and keeping caffeine out of the late afternoon protects sleep.
Are energy drinks banned for under-18s in Europe?
Only in some countries. A 2025 European Parliament briefing lists national bans or restrictions in places such as Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria, while Belgium has no national ban. EU labelling advises against them for children above 150 mg of caffeine per litre. Check the rules where you live.
Does the 3 mg/kg figure apply to one serving or to the whole day?
EFSA states it per day for habitual intake. The BfR adds that it can be read for a single serving and for the day alike, so avoid packing the whole allowance into one drink, especially near bedtime.
Sources
- EFSA, Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102
- EFSA, caffeine topic page
- BfR, frequently asked questions on caffeine and energy drinks
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? (Pediatrics, 2011)
- Anses, energy drinks: warning on risky consumption patterns (2013)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III, point 4
- European Parliament (EPRS), Energy drinks consumption in minors: EU and national rules (2025)
Disclaimer. This article is general information about caffeine and is not medical advice. If a child has a health condition, takes medication or reacts strongly to caffeine, speak to a paediatrician or doctor.