Prime energy drink contains a potentially dangerous amount of caffeine. Experts explain why the drink is especially bad for kids.

• Popular YouTuber Logan Paul's energy drink Prime has more caffeine than coffee or Red Bull.
• Despite warnings that it's only for adults, Prime drinks are popular with kids and teens. 
• Experts say too much caffeine can be dangerous, and young people are especially at risk. 

Federal regulators are scrutinizing the wildly popular energy drink Prime, backed by superstar YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, following reports that the beverage is a hot commodity among children who could be at risk from the high caffeine content. 

While caffeine is safe for adults to consume in moderation, too much of it can cause health problems that range from mild (jitters, anxiety) to serious (rapid heart rate, dehydration, even death in extreme cases). 

And kids are particularly susceptible to caffeine's effects, with current guidelines suggesting there is no safe amount of caffeine for kids under 12, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

While the Prime website specifies the energy drink is intended for those 18 and older, the brand has become a status symbol at schools. Prime's Hydration sports drink (which contains electrolytes and no caffeine) was launched in 2022 with an intense marketing campaign. It gained explosive popularity, with children and teens buying and selling Prime drinks (and even the empty bottles) at a massive mark-up, prompting some schools to ban the brand, parents told Insider's Lindsay Dodgson and Marta Biino.

The high demand and high caffeine content of the energy drink is now prompting experts and lawmakers to call out Prime for marketing toward a younger audience and raising concerns about possible health issues related to too much caffeine. 

As little as half a can of Prime per day is over the limit for teens

Prime energy drinks contain about 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can, on par with other popular energy drink brands like C4 and Celsius. However, all of these contain significantly more caffeine than other common sources.

Prime has as much of the stimulant as two and a half cans of Red Bull, six cans of Coke, or three shots of espresso, and nearly twice the caffeine as one standard cup of coffee.

That amount of caffeine is double the 100 milligram per day limit recommended for teenagers, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

One can of the drink per day totals half the FDA-recommended daily caffeine limit for healthy adults of 400 milligrams. More than may lead to dehydration, digestive issues, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, shakiness, and increased heart rate. 

And in extreme cases, consuming massive amounts of the stimulant — more than 1,200 milligrams in a day— can cause a caffeine overdose which may lead to seizures and even death.

Dangerous overdoses are most commonly linked to the powdered form of caffeine, which is so highly-concentrated that even small amounts can quickly become toxic. 

However, heavy consumption of energy drinks also has major risks over time, with reported cases of hospitalization, organ failure, and heart problems among people who drank multiple cans per day. 

Caffeine can also linger in your body and take up to 24 hours to completely clear, which can cause side effects to accumulate over time if you drink caffeinated beverages through the day, a sports dietitian previously told Insider.