Logan Paul has broken his silence over accusations that his Prime energy drink that he and fellow influencer KSI promote is unsafe for children.
Prime, the drink line launched last year, flew off the shelves when it hit stores due to its affiliation with YouTubers-turned-boxers Logan Paul, 28 and KSI, 30, and continues to be a sought-after product.
The drink comes in various flavours and two different types of product - the Hydration line, which includes vitamins and antioxidants, and the Energy line, which is a caffeinated drink.
The drinks, with 140mg of caffeine in the UK and 200mg in the US, are marketed as drinks for people over 18 in both countries, but concerns have arisen over whether the energy drinks are too appealing for children and look too similar to the Hydration range.
Like the Hydration line, the energy drinks come in sweet flavours and are packaged in bright colours.
While it is unclear what Mr Paul and KSI’s fan demographic is, the YouTuber pushed back at claims that his energy drinks target a younger audience.
"That’s such a heavy claim. But I want to dive into it. You know, we are a social media-first company," Mr Paul told ABC News.
The drink, that came out in 2022, has sold its one billionth bottle— (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
"The good thing about social media is there’s data, right? There’s analytics. 90 per cent of my audience is above the age of 18. 93 per cent of Prime’s audience is above the age of 18, according to Instagram’s analytics," Mr Paul claims, who has 91 million followers combined across all his platforms.
In July, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called upon the Food and Drugs Administration to investigate the Prime energy drink, which has over twice the amount of caffeine that a Red Bull energy drink holds.
"Buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets," the senator said at a news conference in New York. "This is an eye-popping level of caffeine for a young kid’s body," Mr Schumer added.
At the time, Prime gave a statement to NBC concerning the allegations.
“As a brand, our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organisation regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers,” a spokesperson for Prime told the outlet.
They added that the Prime Energy line "contains a comparable amount of caffeine to other top-selling energy drinks, all falling within the legal limit of the countries it’s sold in."
For adults, the FDA says that 400 milligrams of caffeine are not associated with being dangerous to drink; however, this varies depending on your body makeup.
Children are a completely different ball game; it is widely considered that young people should not consume energy drinks because of their addictive nature and potential to stunt brain development.
The American Academy of Paediatrics said in a report that energy drinks “have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.”
Mr Paul seemed to agree with this consensus.
The head-to-head boxer and rap competitors banded together last year to promote Prime— (Getty Images)
"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," the Youtuber told ABC News. "People need to be smart about what they’re putting in their bodies."
Despite the backlash from parents and politicians who are concerned about Prime’s caffeinated drinks, the company has been an incredible success despite only launching last year.
In an interview on Friday on Varney & CO, a Fox Business show, Mr Paul announced that Prime has sold its one billionth bottle and has accumulated $1.2 billion in sales.
As for the influencer, who managed to reinvent himself after some controversial YouTube videos years ago, he told ABC News he hopes his next venture is to become a dad with his new fiance, model Nina Agdal.
"Honestly, I just want to be a good dad," Mr 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."
