Should Teenagers Outweigh The Risk Of Drinking Coffee

Teenagers schedules are busier now than they have been in a long time. Between sports, music, advanced classes, jobs, volunteering and other extra curricular activities, they are left with little time to sleep and lots to complete, so they grab a cup of coffee to keep them stimulated through the day. Many people don’t enjoy the taste of plain coffee, but as coffee shops such as Starbucks have developed sugary drinks that contain caffeine and taste sweet, an increasing number of teens have started consuming coffee. Parents and concerned adults state that teens should not drink coffee due to its health risks, such as stunting growth, along with being a gateway into abusing other substances. Teens, however, have become reliant on coffee and want to continue drinking coffee because studies have shown …show more content…
A study done by Columbia University found that women who drink coffee between the ages of 8 and 22 are 18.1% more likely to drink alcohol and/or smoke cigarettes than men or women who don’t drink coffee, and they are more likely to drink and/or smoke cigarettes earlier than men or women who don’t drink coffee (centeronaddiction.org). So teenage girls are at a higher risk to start smoking or drinking alcohol if they drink coffee. Adults want teens to stay away from cigarettes & alcohol, because both of those, especially cigarettes, can be damaging to humans health. Drinking coffee while undergoing puberty and adolescence can stunt growth. This is because drinking caffeine causes the production levels of calcium in your body to decrease. Drinking coffee, therefore, would cause those people to be shorter than they may have become due to the lack of calcium to grow your bones. Adults understand these health risks for teens drinking caffeine and want to prevent them from stunting their growth or likening substance abuse by not allowing, or discouraging teens from drinking