My son recently suffered a life-threatening episode of caffeine toxicity after consuming caffeine gum purchased from a local shop. He had been out cycling with friends when they stopped at the store, where the gum was displayed directly alongside ordinary chewing gum.

I have since been told that this shop uses its own discretion when selling such products, and that allowing a child to purchase them was well outside its traditional level of customer service. Many shops choose to implement their own age restrictions on high-caffeine products, but this is not required by law.

Because it was presented like any other chewing gum, my son did not recognise it as potentially dangerous. Later in the day, he developed severe chest pains and an irregular heartbeat. He was taken to Great Western Hospital, where he underwent an ECG and blood tests due to his irregular heart rate. Doctors confirmed he had suffered from caffeine toxicity, a condition that can be fatal.

Each pack of this gum contains 46 pieces, with around 40mg of caffeine per piece. Shockingly, my son was sold four packs together for just £1 as part of a promotional offer — a total of 184 pieces of gum, containing approximately 7,360mg of caffeine. Even a few pieces of this gum can exceed the recommended safe caffeine intake for a child. Medical guidance suggests children should not consume more than 2.5mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight per day. For a typical 30kg child, this is only around 75mg — less than two pieces of this gum.

Currently, it is possible for a child to purchase multiple high-caffeine products together — gums, shots, powders, and tablets — potentially exposing them to extremely high and dangerous doses of caffeine at once. Simply stating “contains caffeine” on packaging will not prevent young children from trying to buy these products. Children can access all varieties and strengths, some of which contain even higher doses than the gum my son purchased, further increasing the risk of serious harm.

Every child reacts differently to caffeine, and even relatively low amounts can trigger serious toxicity. Any suspected ingestion requires immediate medical attention. Parents and carers should be aware of warning signs such as chest pain, irregular heartbeat, vomiting, and agitation.

Current legislation around caffeine products is largely limited to energy drinks. Planned government changes focus only on high-caffeine energy drinks, leaving all other high-caffeine products — gums, powders, shots, and tablets — largely unregulated. This creates a significant gap in the law, meaning these dangerous products can still be legally sold to minors. This gap urgently needs to be addressed.

We are calling for:
 1. Stricter regulation of all high-caffeine products, not just energy drinks.
 2. Mandatory age restrictions clearly indicated on labelling for all high-caffeine items.
 3. Clear warnings on all high-caffeine products to highlight the risks to children.
 4. Limits on pack sizes and promotional offers that could allow excessive consumption.

Without these changes, children will continue to be exposed to dangerously high levels of caffeine, putting their health and lives at risk.