Energy drink created by YouTubers sparks frenzy among young people
Energy drink created by millionaire YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI sparks frenzy among young people leading to a spate of muggings and thefts amid huge demand
- YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI have been promoting Prime in boxing matches
- Children as young as 10 have been threatened and punched to get the drink
- A 17-year-old was arrested in Ashford to attempting to shoplift a case from Asda
- Demand is high but drink is harmless as it is mainly water with added vitamins
A sports drink created by a pair of YouTube stars has become a phenomenon amongst youngsters, leading to a spate of muggings and thefts.
Children as young as 10 have been threatened in playgrounds and punched in order to force them to hand over bottles of Prime.
Unlike many child vices, from smoking behind the bike sheds to passing around a bottle of cider, Prime is entirely harmless, given it is mainly water with added vitamins and minerals.
Such is demand that youngsters are pestering parents to travel long distances to get their hands on the drink, with some touring hundreds of miles during fruitless hunts.
Logan Paul, who has become a multimillion on the back of his YouTube fame, has promoted the drink
Just last week, a 17-year-old was arrested in Ashford, Kent, for attempting to shoplift a case of the drinks from an Asda store.
KSI and Logan Paul, who have become multimillionaires on the back of their YouTube fame, have promoted the drink around high profile celebrity boxing bouts in the UK.
Demand for the drinks is massively outpacing supply as youngsters try to emulate their social media heroes.
Currently, Prime is only sold though Asda outlets in the UK, however, sales have been so strong that the supermarket has been rationing purchases to no more than three per customer.
Such is the demand that youngsters who manage to get their hands on a bottle are being bullied, mugged and robbed.
One worried parent said: ‘A mum I know sent her 10 year old off to the park on Sunday to let off some steam.
‘A small group of teenagers – two boys and a girl – were hanging about in the park and told him to give them his drink. He refused and he was punched in the face and obviously left very upset and traumatised.
‘Kids are getting bullied into handing them over at school too. I think they are becoming social currency amongst kids and unfortunately that can also bring violence.’
Fellow YouTuber KSI has also been promoting the drink around boxing events in the UK
The hype around the drink has been fuelled by the fact some people have been advertising bottles on eBay and social media at vastly inflated prices
The hype around the drink has been fuelled by the fact some people have been advertising bottles on eBay and social media at vastly inflated prices.
The official list price for a 500ml bottle is £2, however sellers are asking anything from £7 to £19.99 on eBay. Bizarrely, one seller even quoted an ambitious £50,000.
On Teeside a group of teens, who had been queuing from 6am, rushed a branch of Asda and cleared the shelves.
Unlike sports energy drinks, Prime does not contain any caffeine and, in fact, is largely water with added vitamins and minerals designed to boost exercise performance.
As a result, it is a harmless – even healthy alternative – to the high caffeine energy drinks popular with youngsters.
The drink’s ingredients mean it is a far better option than high caffeine drinks, such as Red Bull and Monster, which have been linked to dangerous and reckless behaviour, poor school performance and a lack of concentration in lessons.
Prime comes in a range of fruity flavours, including Lemon Lime, Tropical Punch, Ice Pop and Blue Raspberry, and the ingredients are typical of many other sports and nutrition drinks used by athletes.
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