The move is being praised as a “very positive” move and Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have since pledged to “explore restrictions on the sale of high caffeine drinks”.
Government have described it as a “steadfast commitment to improving public health”.
This would be a particularly positive move for children in Ireland, according to HSE Obesity Lead, Donal O’Shea.
Speaking to Newstalk, he said: “These energy drinks have surged in consumption among young children and teenagers over the last number of years.
“There’s very good evidence that they’re very bad for your ability to concentrate, for your attention span, if you’ve any tendency towards anxiety, it drives that.
“They simply should not be freely available to purchase as they are at the moment.”
Dr. O’Shea went on to say that one major issue is that parents don’t know a lot about energy drinks and their effects.
They are generally unaware that their children are buying them either, but it’s understood that they’re being promoted on social media.
“These drinks are being promoted heavily through Snapchat, Instagram and by influencers - not in the traditional advertising way.
“Many of these energy drinks, parents won’t have even heard of but there’ll be a massive crazy in that teenage and young adult group.”
In light of these issues, Dr. O’Shea is urging the government to move quickly and “take action”.
He went on to say: “To parents, just keep your kids aware that this online influencer promotion of products is a thing that they need to be aware of.
“So that they’re not just sucked into it, hook, line and sinker.”
