City Of San Francisco Sues Monster Energy Drinks For Targeting Children

Last week the energy drink company Monster sued the city of San Francisco after it tried to force restriction onto the company. Now, San Francisco is fighting back with a lawsuit of their own.

The city claims that Monster needs to have tighter regulations not only on the serving sizes they provide, but also on some of their marketing practices as well. 

"Monster Energy is unique among energy drink makers for the extent to which it targets children and youth in its marketing, despite the known risks its products pose to young people's health and safety," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a news release Monday.

Herrera also stresses that this lawsuit was not spurred by Monster's own lawsuit against the city, but rather was a natural consequence of Monster's failure to comply with the city's requests.

"Our lawsuit is not a reaction to their lawsuit," Herrera said in an interview. "We were proceeding on this path in the event that we would be unable to come to a resolution."

It appears that San Francisco is not only disturbed by the fact that Monster targets children, but is also unsettled by the mode in which they are going about it.  Some of the influences of the company appear to be inappropriate for the increasingly younger demographic.

"Monster also targets children and teenagers by promoting a 'lifestyle' that features extreme sports, music, gaming, military themes and scantily-clad 'Monster Girls," the lawsuit also states.

In a world where sex is the number one way to advertise, the merits of Monster's ads are up for debate. However, there is little debate over the effects of the energy drink itself. 

Many users report a rush of energy, a quickening of the heart, and an inability to fall asleep after consumption. The strong effects of the drink may not be suitable for younger consumers.

Herrera claims that Monster has been irresponsible so far in how it instructs younger people to consumer the beverage. Monster's marketing tell's its audience to "pound down" and "chug down" its products, and advertises a limit of 48 ounces of Monster a day, which is nearly 5 times the maximum daily dose recommended for children.

The Food and Drug Administration has already vowed to look into the proliferation of energy drinks and caffeine in the United States, and would render a judgment as to whether they pose a "significant risk" to vulnerable groups such as children.