The European Parliament has been debating a possible EU-wide sales ban. Estonia has both supporters and opponents of uniform rules within its political class.

Several EU member states, including Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, have banned the sale of energy drinks to under-18s. Several other member states restrict minors' access to these types of drinks via various domestic regulations and laws.

In Estonia, the sale of energy drinks to minors is regulated by a marketing best practice code. This means while there is no general age restriction under law for retailing energy drinks, retailers are encouraged to impose limits at their own initiative.

In summer 2016, the Estonian traders' association proposed its members introduce a sales restriction for energy drinks to under 16s. Three years later, virtually all retail chains had joined that initiative.

Results from the latest study by the National Institute for Health Development (TAI) show that while at age 11, 68 percent of boys and 73 percent of girls have never drunk an energy drink, four years later, by age 15 these percentages have fallen to 44 and 46 respectively.

However, consumption may be higher than these figures suggest. Marge Saamel, senior specialist in the TAI's nutrition and physical activity department, told ERR the latest study on children's health in schools found a fifth of 11–15-year-olds consume energy drinks daily.

Consumption is highest among 15-year-olds, especially boys. This is a trend Saamel called worrying.

"If we bear in mind that there is actually no need to drink energy drinks at all and they need not exist in the first place, then this number is rather high," Saamel said.

Also, energy drink consumption among minors has risen since the last comparable study was conducted. The increase in girls' consumption is particularly concerning. "Among boys the rise has been smaller, but a particularly large increase is visible among girls: In 2018, 8 percent [of girls] consumed energy drinks weekly, while in 2022 the figure had already reached 18 percent," Saamel noted.

A recent hearing of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety discussed options for imposing an EU-wide ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors.

The proposed ban has both its supporters and detractors inside Estonia.

MP Signe Riisalo (Reform), chair of the Riigikogu's Social Affairs Committee, was among those who did not find establishing a general ban across the bloc appropriate.

"Here I do think that member states are capable of assessing their own national consumption trends and problems, as well as deciding how to approach them, what to prohibit and how to implement bans. I believe it would not be reasonable to begin enforcing an EU-wide ban on energy drink sales to minors," Riisalo, a former social security minister, said.

Social Democrats MP and Riigikogu Social Affairs Committee member Tanel Kiik was in favor EU-wide ban, however. "I personally support it," Kiik said. "There is absolutely no benefit for children from consuming such drinks, while several health risks do accompany it," a former social affairs minister, added.

Introducing a ban like this would not require any radical new oversight measures. ID-check requirements already apply today, for example, to tobacco and alcohol sales, Kiik added.

Riisalo noted that restrictions as set by retailers have been working. Ensuring energy drinks do not reach minors is not only the state's responsibility, she went on.

More effort should be put into awareness-raising and communicating the associated risks, for instance.

"It all starts at home and in the family; certainly, it is also an issue for educational institutions — coaches, hobby education providers etc. Children everywhere need to be given this knowledge and behavioral guidance, and it needs to be reinforced. Because habits play a very large role in the consumption of foods and drinks," Riisalo went on.

According to Saamel, awareness-raising work is indeed underway. Yet energy drinks consumption is still showing an upward trend.

"We are carrying awareness-raising and we want young people to avoid consuming so many energy drinks, but unfortunately the numbers show that compared with the previous study, consumption has still increased," Saamel said.

Sales in stores of energy drinks like Red Bull, Battery and Monster, are subject to the same age checks as when buying alcohol. This means anyone who appears to be potentially below the age of 18 can be IDed.

A planned sugary drinks tax in Estonia was scrapped last year.

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