DEBATE SCRIPT: "Energy Drinks Should Be Banned for Under 18"

• Speaker 1 (S1) - Main advocate
• Speaker 2 (S2) - Health/science focus
• Speaker 3 (S3) - Policy/society focus
• Speaker 4 (S4) - Backup / counter-attack reserve

FORMAT OVERVIEW

1a. OPENING STATEMENT - TEAM FOR (3 minutes)

"Good [morning/afternoon] everyone. We are here today to argue what science, medicine, and a mother's worst nightmare have already proven - energy drinks must be banned for anyone under 18.

Let us start with a name. Larissa Rodriguez. She was 17 years old. A high school cheerleader, a student council president, a tennis player - a young woman with her entire life ahead of her. On October 20, 2025, in Weslaco, Texas, Larissa bought an Alani Nu energy drink from a grocery store shelf. No ID required. No warning strong enough to stop her. Days later, she was dead. The Hidalgo County Medical Examiner ruled her cause of death as cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption. Her family's attorney confirmed: the only substance found in her system was caffeine.

She was not an addict. She was not reckless. She was a teenager who bought a product that was legally sold to her, marketed to young people like her, and packaged to look like part of a healthy lifestyle. That product killed her.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Sports Medicine have all stated, unequivocally, that energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents. Not less of a place - NO place.

"The science backing this position is not thin - it is overwhelming. A 2024 systematic review of 57 studies covering over 1.2 million children and young people across 21 countries found a consistent, strong link between energy drink consumption and:

• Increased headaches, stomach aches, and fatigue
• Reduced sleep quality and duration
• Higher rates of anxiety, stress, and depression
• Increased risk of suicide
• Reduced academic performance
• And stronger links to alcohol, smoking, vaping, and substance use

One can of Alani Nu - the drink Larissa was drinking - contains 200 milligrams of caffeine in just 12 ounces. Medical experts recommend teenagers consume zero to 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. That means a single can already doubles or eliminates the entire safe daily ceiling.

The FDA sets the adult upper limit at 400mg. Teens are not small adults. Their cardiovascular systems, their developing brains, their neurological pathways are not equipped to handle this.

The United Kingdom's government launched a formal consultation in September 2025 and in July 2026 confirmed plans to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s from April 2027. Latvia and Lithuania banned sales to minors years ago. Poland and Romania followed in 2024.

The world is moving. The evidence is clear. The tragedy is real. We say: ban energy drinks for under 18."

3a. REBUTTAL - TEAM FOR (3 minutes)

"The opposing team will likely argue one or more of the following: that a ban is government overreach, that parents should decide, that education is enough, or that teens can simply access energy drinks elsewhere. Let us address each of these directly.

'It's a matter of personal choice and parental responsibility.' With respect, the same argument was made against banning cigarette sales to minors. The same argument was made against alcohol age restrictions. Society long ago decided that there are substances too harmful for developing bodies, where the role of government is to protect those who cannot yet fully protect themselves. Personal choice is a privilege that comes with a fully developed prefrontal cortex - and in teenagers, that development is not complete.

'Education and warning labels are enough.' Larissa Rodriguez walked into a store, saw a can marketed to portray health and vitality, and bought it. There was no visible, accessible warning that stopped her. Industry-placed labels are deliberately small and deliberately understated. A systematic review of over a million young people found consumption is not decreasing under voluntary schemes - it is increasing. Education alone has demonstrably failed.

'Teens will get them anyway.' This argument, if accepted, would abolish every age restriction ever created. Teens get cigarettes. Teens get alcohol. We do not therefore make them legal for minors. Age restrictions reduce access, delay initiation, and signal social norms. Even a partial reduction in access saves lives.

And let us return to Larissa Rodriguez. Her family's lawsuit notes the product was marketed to young consumers deceptively, positioning it as part of a healthy, active lifestyle while concealing cardiac and neurological risks. When industry profits from deception, and a 17-year-old dies, the government has not only the right but the duty to intervene.

We are not banning caffeine. We are not banning coffee. We are banning high-caffeine, aggressively marketed, inadequately labelled products from being sold to minors. The motion stands."

AUDIENCE Q&A - ANTICIPATED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (4 minutes)

S4: "Other threats exist - and we should address those too. But 'there are worse problems' is not a reason to ignore this one. Energy drinks are uniquely dangerous because of concentrated caffeine doses in products specifically engineered to appeal to young people. Larissa Rodriguez did not die from a burger. She died from a legal, marketed product designed to attract teens."

S4: "The UK tried voluntary measures for years. Consumption in young people continued to rise. A 2024 systematic review covering 1.2 million children across 21 countries shows that voluntary labelling has not worked. When a measure repeatedly fails and people are dying, we escalate to what works: a ban."

S3: "We fully support adults' freedom to consume energy drinks. This debate is specifically about under-18s. A targeted age ban does not touch adult freedoms at all."

S2: "It is both. The manufacturer should be held to account - and Larissa's family is doing exactly that in court. But we cannot wait for every lawsuit to settle. Policy protects the next Larissa before she buys that can."

2-MINUTE FREE SPEECH + CLOSING STATEMENT

"We have heard statistics today - 57 studies, 1.2 million young people, 200 milligrams of caffeine in a single can. But let us not let those numbers make us numb.

Behind every number is a family. Behind every statistic is a classroom with an empty seat.

Larissa Rodriguez was a cheerleader. She was student council president. She was college-bound. Her parents are now in court, fighting for a million dollars - not because money brings her back, but because they want the world to know that the product on that shelf should never have been available to a 17-year-old girl.

The UK government heard the evidence and moved. Europe is moving. Countries around the world are moving. The question before this room today is not whether the science is there - it is. The question is whether we have the courage to act on it.

We are asking for something simple: that a child cannot walk into a store and legally buy a product that has been proven to damage their heart, their brain, their sleep, and their mental health.

Larissa Rodriguez could not vote. She could not drink alcohol. She could not buy cigarettes. But she could buy the product that killed her.

That is what we are here to change. We urge this house, the audience, and the lecturers present - support the ban. The motion stands."

SPEAKER 4 - BACKUP BATTLE NOTES

QUICK REFERENCE - KEY FACTS FOR ALL MEMBERS

• Larissa Rodriguez: 17 years old, Weslaco Texas, died October 2025 from cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine (Alani Nu energy drinks, 200mg caffeine per can). Wrongful death lawsuit filed April 2026.
• Alani Nu caffeine: 200mg per 12oz can. Safe teen daily limit: 0-100mg. Adult FDA limit: 400mg.
• Systematic review (Ajibo et al., 2024): 57 studies, 1.2 million+ children, 21+ countries. Links energy drinks to cardiac risk, mental health issues, poor sleep, reduced academic performance, suicidal ideation.
• Medical bodies: American Academy of Pediatrics, AMA, and American College of Sports Medicine all state energy drinks have NO place in the diet of children and adolescents.
• Policy momentum: UK government confirmed legislation in July 2026 to ban sales to under-16s from April 2027. Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania have existing bans. EU Parliament reviewing policy December 2025.
• Opponent team: Likely to argue personal freedom, parental responsibility, education over restriction. S3 and S4 have prepared answers for all of these.

• Larissa Rodriguez should be mentioned with full name and gravity - pause after saying her name.
• S2 should have the statistics memorized - rattle them with confidence.
• S3's rebuttal is your sharpest moment - deliver it calmly but forcefully.
• S1's closing should be slower and more emotional than the rest.
• S4: stay sharp, stay brief in Q&A - 30-40 seconds per answer maximum.

1a. OPENING STATEMENT - TEAM FOR (3 minutes) (UPDATED)

"Good [morning/afternoon] everyone.

If a product has been proven to damage a child's heart, disrupt their sleep, fuel their anxiety, and in some cases - kill them - at what point do we say enough?

We are here today to argue what science, medicine, and a mother's worst nightmare have already proven - energy drinks must be banned for anyone under 18.

Let us start with a name. Larissa Rodriguez.

She was 17 years old. A high school cheerleader, a student council president, a tennis player - a young woman with her entire life ahead of her. On October 20, 2025, in Weslaco, Texas, Larissa walked into a grocery store and bought an Alani Nu energy drink off the shelf. No ID required. No warning strong enough to stop her. Days later, she was dead. The Hidalgo County Medical Examiner ruled her cause of death as cardiomyopathy - caused by excessive caffeine consumption. Her family's attorney confirmed: the only substance found in her system was caffeine.

She was not an addict. She was not reckless. She was a teenager who bought a product that was legally sold to her, marketed to young people exactly like her, and packaged to look like part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

So we ask this room - if we would not hand a child a cigarette, if we would not serve them alcohol, why are we handing them something that a medical examiner says killed a 17-year-old girl?

"And Larissa is not an isolated story. She is the face of a much larger crisis.

A 2024 systematic review of 57 studies covering over 1.2 million children and young people across 21 countries found a consistent, strong link between energy drink consumption and:

• Increased headaches, stomach aches, and chronic fatigue
• Reduced sleep quality and duration
• Higher rates of anxiety, stress, and depression
• Increased risk of suicide
• Reduced academic performance
• And a stronger pull toward alcohol, smoking, vaping, and substance use

One can of Alani Nu - the drink Larissa drank - contains 200 milligrams of caffeine in just 12 ounces. Medical experts recommend teenagers consume zero to 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. A single can already blows past the entire safe daily ceiling for a developing body.

Ask yourself - would you knowingly give a product to a child that doubles their recommended caffeine limit in a single sitting? Then why are we allowing stores to do exactly that, every single day, to millions of teenagers?

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Sports Medicine all state, without qualification, that energy drinks have no place - not less of a place, but no place - in the diet of children and adolescents.

The UK government heard the same evidence and confirmed legislation in July 2026 to ban sales to under-16s. Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania have already moved. The world is not waiting.

Larissa Rodriguez could not vote. She could not buy alcohol. She could not buy cigarettes. But she could walk into a store and buy the product that ended her life.

The question is not whether we have the evidence to act. The question is whether we have the conscience to.

We do. The motion stands - energy drinks must be banned for under 18."

1. "If a product has been proven to damage a child's heart... at what point do we say enough?" - hooks the room right at the start before Larissa's story.
2. "If we would not hand a child a cigarette... why are we handing them something that killed a 17-year-old girl?" - forces the audience to confront the double standard mid-speech.
3. "The question is not whether we have the evidence to act. The question is whether we have the conscience to." - closes the opening on a powerful moral challenge aimed directly at the audience and lecturers.