SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s notoriously competitive school system is nothing new. What is more unsettling is this: for many teenagers, caffeine may now pose a greater risk than nicotine.
High school senior Yoo Seung-ho drinks two cans of Monster Energy a day — which he considers moderate. “Some of my classmates drink up to five,” he said.
Among Korean teenagers, energy drinks have become almost synonymous with studying.
“My nephew drinks one or two energy drinks a day,” said Kim S.Y., in her 50s, as she waited outside a library on a rainy afternoon. “These days, kids seem to consume more energy drinks than coffee. They say they’re stronger.”
The surge is also visible in the market. Energy drinks generated roughly $2 billion in sales last year — approaching one-third the size of South Korea’s carbonated soft drink market, estimated at $5 billion to $5.5 billion.
Yet caffeine dependence may be only the visible layer of a deeper problem.
Experts warn that reliance on high-caffeine drinks is increasingly overlapping with the non-medical use of prescription drugs — particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication — to boost concentration.
“Strengthening insurance coverage rules or restricting prescriptions can be effective,” said Han Euna, a professor of health economics and pharmaceutical health services research at Yonsei University.
She compared the situation to phentermine, an appetite-suppressant drug, where misuse declined significantly after tighter guidelines were introduced.
Data suggest the scale of caffeine consumption is already widespread. A 2026 report by the National Youth Policy Institute found that 61.2 percent of teenagers consume high-caffeine beverages at least once a month, with more than half citing the need to stay awake while studying.
The pattern becomes more concerning among frequent users. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s 2025 Youth Health Behavior Survey, 21.9 percent of male students and 21.2 percent of female students reported consuming such drinks at least three times a week.
Health authorities recommend a maximum daily caffeine intake of 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight for adolescents — roughly 150 milligrams for a 60-kilogram individual. A single can of an energy drink typically contains 60 to 100 milligrams, meaning that multiple cans can quickly exceed safe limits.
“Caffeine can provide a temporary boost in alertness, but over time the body builds tolerance, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect,” said Yu Yun-mi, a professor in the Department of Pharmacy at Yonsei University.
“It disrupts REM sleep and lowers overall sleep quality.”
Excessive intake may also trigger gastrointestinal issues such as gastritis and acid reflux at an early age, raising the risk of ulcers later in life. In more severe cases, it can lead to anxiety and cardiac arrhythmias.
The concern deepens when looking beyond caffeine.
An National Youth Policy Institute survey of 3,384 middle and high school students found that 5.2 percent had used substances — including ADHD medication, appetite suppressants, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs — for non-medical purposes. That exceeds the 4.2 percent who reported ever smoking.
Among those, 24.4 percent said they had used ADHD medication in the past six months, followed by appetite suppressants (20 percent) and both sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs (13.3 percent each).
For some, use is not occasional. Among students who had taken ADHD medication in the past six months, 23.1 percent reported using it more than 20 times a month.
A commonly prescribed ADHD drug, Methylphenidate, stimulates the central nervous system but can cause side effects including insomnia, irritability, appetite loss and abdominal pain.
As perceptions spread that such drugs enhance concentration, usage appears to be shifting from experimentation to deliberate academic performance enhancement — a trend experts link directly to the pressures of South Korea’s college entrance system.
Yu warned that using ADHD medication without proper diagnosis is particularly dangerous.
“Such drugs are intended for patients with clinically diagnosed conditions and carry significant side effects,” she said. “When used by individuals without ADHD, the risks are even greater.”
Prolonged use may suppress growth and increase blood pressure and heart rate.
Combined with high caffeine intake, the risks can intensify further.
Amid rising concerns, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said in May 2025 that it would expand a system requiring doctors to check a patient’s prescription history before prescribing certain medications. The measure was extended to include methylphenidate from June 27, 2025.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.