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Teens find coffee houses a fine place to hang out
Josh Hyatt is a Frappuccino kind of guy. His brother, Chris, prefers a smooth, hot mocha.
They are 14 and 11.
Like many of their peers, Josh and Chris are habitues of Starbucks, which along with other chains and independent coffee shops, has become a major hangout for preteens and teen-agers.
The quest for a place to congregate is nothing new, of course. Kids have camped out in ice cream parlors, pizza shops, pool halls, shopping malls and basements.
But those options seem staid now compared with places such as Starbucks that emanate maturity and hipness with such amenities as wireless Internet access - not to mention their convenience for those who can't drive. These young consumers usually drink the softer, milkshakelike drinks, both with and without coffee. But that's beside the point, really.
"This is about having a place that's not home to hang out with your friends,'' said Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks America's eating habits.
There are more than 21,000 coffee bars nationwide, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, up from about 5,000 just 10 years ago.
Parents don't seem to mind because they see coffee bars as safe and clean, and a place they themselves like to go.
"It's better than McDonald's,'' said Dick Hyatt, father of Josh and Chris. Josh started his Starbucks education at 7 or 8, drinking hot chocolate. He graduated to Frappuccinos a few years later.
"What you want changes with your age,'' he explained.
Many kids get steeped in the coffee-bar culture as infants. The neighborhood latte shop has become a center of social activity for some parents of babies and toddlers because it's an easy place to take them at a time when taking them anywhere isn't easy.
"We come here every single day just to get them out of the house and to get me the caffeine,'' said Samantha Clayton, relaxing in a Starbucks with her husband, Royce, the Washington Nationals shortstop recently traded to Cincinnati. With them were their 2 1/2 -year-old son, Royce Jr., and 8-month-old triplets - Niya, Elijah and Imani - in two double strollers.
"A lot of moms of multiples don't get out that much,'' Samantha Clayton said.
Some groups do worry about kids in coffee bars because of the high-calorie, whipped-cream-topped beverages and the possible caffeine intake.
The nutrition watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest has singled out some of Starbucks' milkshake-style beverages for being laden with saturated fat. And a 2005 study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that young women who drink coffee are significantly more likely than non-coffee drinkers to become smokers.
Teen drinkers account for only about 4 percent of all coffee consumed domestically, according to NPD's Balzer, but "there's no denying that it's a growth market.''
Bob Goldin, executive vice president of the Chicago-based restaurant consulting firm Technomic, said that at chains such as Starbucks there is "rising concern about the nutritional content of their products, especially related to children.''
A small Starbucks Vanilla Creme Frappuccino has 350 calories and 11 grams of fat. A medium Java Chip Frappuccino has 510 calories and 22 grams of fat, according to the Starbucks Web site.
But teens are not worried about this. They go to coffee bars to pass time, do homework and be with one another.
"Coffee shops are a good place to sort of meet up,'' said Patricia Eggerton, 17, who regularly meets with friends at the Caribou Coffee in her suburban neighborhood. "It's a comfortable atmosphere, they won't throw you out, your parents aren't there, and it's a good place to chill.'' www.registerguard.com
Caffeine is such an ingredient that not only the teenagers but even adults like us get hooked to it. According to reports from UPI, innumerable numbers of teenagers are getting heavily addicted to consumption of caffeine contained drinks.
These days you have lot many options like flavored teas, coffees, espressos, cappuccinos that are being sold in the fast food joints: but this growing trend among the teenager is increasingly pushing them towards a deteriorating heath.
The teens feel that this caffeinated drinks acts as a stimulant for them, whereas in reality it is putting them at risk of growing heath disorders.
Even doctors has given their verdict that the teens should be aware that this drink might lead to sleeping disorders, high blood pressures and many other diseases.
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