Young people’s breakfast habits decline as energy drinks fill nutritional gap

A growing trend of skipped breakfasts and increased reliance on on-the-go food and energy drinks among young people raises concerns over health, focus, and wellbeing, prompting calls for better parental and school support.

Fewer young people are starting the day with breakfast, and more are turning to food and drink that can be consumed in a hurry. According to TV4, 71% of young people ate breakfast every day in 2017, but now it is just over half. The same report says 43% eat on the move at least once a week, while 41% say they replace breakfast, lunch or dinner with something grabbed on the go. That fits a wider pattern seen in the US, where the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found that most high school students skipped breakfast at least once in the previous week.

As time pressures grow, energy drinks, bars and snacks are increasingly standing in for proper meals. TV4 quoted nutritionist Kristina Andersson as saying that energy drinks may make young people feel more alert because of caffeine, but they do not provide the fuel the brain needs to work well. The CDC says energy drinks often contain high levels of caffeine and other stimulants, while the American Academy of Paediatrics advises against them for children and adolescents because of health risks. A Danish study from the DTU National Food Institute also found that energy drink use is common among young people and linked it to concerns about sleep disruption.

The issue is not only nutrition, but also focus, learning and wellbeing. Andersson told TV4 that skipping breakfast can leave young people too hungry later in the day, making less healthy choices more likely. The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey found that daily breakfast skipping was associated with worse feelings of sadness or hopelessness and weaker school connectedness. Other US nutrition guidance says breakfast is important for replacing energy after an overnight fast and is associated with better diet quality in children and adolescents.

Andersson argued that building healthy eating habits should be treated as part of upbringing, not just personal willpower. She also said parents should lead by example and schools could help by serving breakfast, pointing to places that already do so, including around national exams. Research cited in the Born in Bradford study suggests that breakfast habits weaken with age, while energy drinks can also carry social appeal among teenagers. Taken together, the findings suggest that young people are not simply choosing convenience over health; many are trying to balance both, often with poor results.