02/08/2026
🚨 FSSAI has reportedly asked companies like Red Bull, STING MAROC and others to stop using the term “energy drink” and given them 90 days to comply.
This isn’t just about a label.
It raises an important question:
👉 Should stimulant-containing beverages be marketed so aggressively to teenagers and young adults?
As psychiatrists, stimulant medications are prescribed only after careful assessment, for specific medical conditions, with appropriate follow-up.
These beverages are not the same as prescription stimulant medicines.
But they are often marketed using words like energy, focus and performance to a generation already dealing with:
• 😴 Poor sleep
• 📚 Late-night studying
• 😰 Stress
• 🏃 Constant pressure to perform
Maybe the bigger conversation isn’t just about the name “energy drink.”
Maybe it’s about how we protect adolescent and young adult brain health while allowing informed consumer choice.
What do you think? 👇🧠