(NEW YORK) — Popular influencer-turned-businessman Logan Paul is responding to accusations his Prime energy drink is unsafe for children to consume.
Prime offers both caffeine-free drinks — their Hydration line — and caffeinated beverages — their Energy line. Prime’s energy drinks — marketed “for ages 18+” and available in multiple flavors such as tropical punch and strawberry watermelon — have zero added sugar but also contain 200 mg of caffeine, an amount that has drawn criticism from politicians like New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who called for the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the caffeine content in the drinks and criticized Prime in July for marketing to Paul’s young fans.
When asked if he and his company are targeting children in their marketing efforts, Paul pushed back on the claim.
“That’s such a heavy claim. But I want to dive into it. You know, we are a social media-first company,” the 28-year-old told ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim. “The good thing about social media is there’s data, right? There’s analytics. 90% of my audience is above the age of 18. 93% of Prime’s audience is above the age of 18, according to Instagram’s analytics.”
“Good Morning America” reached out to Instagram to confirm Paul’s statistics and analytics but has not heard back so far.
Still, there’s a public concern over kids’ exposure to energy drinks. One report from the American Academy of Pediatrics said “caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.”
The FDA says that 400 mg of caffeine — roughly four to five cups of coffee — should be the maximum amount consumed per day for a healthy adult, but even adults have a wide range of what’s considered healthy.
Paul said his message to parents or children is to “be smart” about what they’re drinking.
“Caffeine consumption isn’t recommended for kids or anyone under the age of 18. That’s an industry standard thing, not a Prime-specific one,” Paul said. “People need to be smart about what they’re putting in their bodies.”
Paul rose to fame on social media and was one of the first to help create the world of social media influencers. Now, he has over 91 million followers combined across his social media platforms.
But Paul has also expanded his résumé over the years and in addition to being a YouTube content creator, he has also become a boxer, WWE U.S. champion and an entrepreneur.
Prime recently celebrated selling its 1 billionth bottle and reached $1.2 billion in sales.
“The hydration category was a bit archaic. A lot of the leading companies in the vertical are really high sugar and have really old formulas. We saw an opportunity to make a great product that was a better for you product,” Paul said of his motivation to start Prime.
Paul said he has also grown up a lot since his early days on social media and encourages others to not spend too much time online.
“Like social media is not real. For those of you watching this, put your phone down. Get away from social media, go outside, take a breath of fresh air,” Paul said in his interview with Pilgrim.
Paul also said he plans on having children of his own someday. He announced his engagement to model Nina Agdal back in July.
“Honestly, I just want to be a good dad,” Paul said. “It’s cool to make your own legacy. I think it’s much cooler to create someone who has the potential to make a legacy of their own.”
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