I'm 12 and I want to try protein powder - should I?

Twelve-year-old Ben is desperate to try protein powder but there's one hurdle: me, his mum.

"I've asked about 20 times and you just keep saying no!", he says, claiming it would make him "fitter and bigger" and that his male friends use it.

In recent years, there's been an explosion of products marketed as "high protein", including milk, yoghurt, breads, cereals, bars and powders.

Social media is flooded with adverts for various supplements, including protein powder.

As a health journalist, I'm sceptical and think at Ben's age he must be getting enough protein through his diet.

So, do experts think it's safe for pre-teens and teenagers or is a big, juicy steak just as good?

My sport-obsessed son, who already eats a healthy balanced diet, asks me about protein powder on a regular basis.

His friend Louis, 12, has been using protein powder once or twice a week for nearly a year, after a workout and on top of whole foods. His parents are aware of this.

"I think it's helped, it gives me more energy and it's helped me grow, probably," he says.

But Ben's other friend Otis, who is 13, is not keen on the idea and feels there is pressure on young people to take protein supplements.

"They might just start using them without thinking about the consequences or what effects it may have on them."

Proteins break down into amino acids that help the body grow and repair.

But your body can't make all the amino acids it needs on its own, so you need to get more - known as essential amino acids - through your diet.

For an adult with a healthy weight, the recommended daily amount of protein you should be eating is 0.75 grams per kg of body weight, according to the NHS.