One of the largest umbrella organisations for school governing bodies in the country is encouraging its members to ban the new energy drink called Prime from their school premises because it allegedly"alters children's behaviour".
Prime became a worldwide phenomenon almost overnight after being introduced by American YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI last year. Retail sales have already surpassed R4.5 billion globally. Da Costa emphasises that children under 18 should limit their caffeine intake, and children under 12 should avoid it altogether. The European Food Safety Authority guidelines recommend a caffeine intake of 3mg/kg body weight for children up to the age of 18 and caution against caffeine intake from other sources like energy drinks.