Children are especially worth protecting from excess added sugar — habits form early, and kids' smaller bodies reach their limits with less. Yet most children consume far more than guidelines recommend.
The guidelines
The American Heart Association recommends that children and teens ages 2–18 get less than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day. For children under age 2, the recommendation is no added sugar at all, because their tiny calorie needs leave no room for empty calories, and early exposure shapes taste preferences.
Where kids' sugar comes from
As with adults, drinks lead the way: sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, sweetened milks, and juice. A single juice box or sports drink can approach or exceed a young child's entire daily added-sugar allowance. Sugary breakfast cereals, flavored yogurts, and snacks add more.
The juice trap
Fruit juice deserves special mention because parents often see it as healthy. Even 100% juice is concentrated sugar without the fiber of whole fruit. Pediatric guidance recommends no juice before age 1 and only small, limited amounts for older children — whole fruit is the better choice.
Practical steps
Small changes help most: make water and milk the default drinks, treat juice and sweet drinks as occasional, read the added sugars line on kids' snacks, and go easy on sweetening at home so children develop a taste for less-sweet foods. Cutting sugary drinks alone removes the largest chunk of most kids' added sugar.